Come Back to Me
by heartforhumanity845
Summary: The lengths we will go for the ones we love most are immeasurable, and sometimes, even deadly. A sequel to Just as You Are, a Trolls fanfiction. Broppy and OC's abound.
1. Chapter 1

Amidst a dark grey sky with looking clouds and treacherous hills lay an extensive group of cottages as far as the eye could see. The streets were made of poorly-laid cobblestone, and the houses themselves boasted neutral earthen colors of brown, black, gray, and green.

The overall atmosphere of the place was dismal to say at best. Trolls fought and bargained for items amidst the market, shouting and carrying on in such a way that would make any newcomer shiver in their boots. Women hung tattered laundry from scraggily clotheslines atop the rooves of their shacks, dumping chamber pots into the streets below and wiping away at the seemingly endless dirt on the cloudy windows. The remaining trolls, mostly men and their sons, hung around outside local taverns and bars, hoping to catch a glimpse of the closest fight to place their bets. Beggars hung around every corner, reaching out desperately for a scrap of something from any passerby.

The spots of earth that were visible through the stone pathways and streets was turned up and quite uneven, with sprouts of pale green grass attempting to reach out to the crude air. Chimneys bellowed gray smoke without fail, creating a sort of haze about the entire town as if it were in a permanent fog.

A pair of troll children with pale gray skin scampered through the streets in haste, weaving in and around market stands where equally as discolored adults scowled at them.

"Hurry, Griffin, or we'll miss them!" The one child called to the other as they made their way to the main road that stretched all the way through town. Hooves of creatures unrecognizable pulled carts of vegetables and farm supplies in a sort of parade, the children getting stuck behind one such cart. They scurried to make their way around it, their patched overalls shagging about their bodies loosely. Finding an opening, they took it and careened to the left, the main road dead ahead.

Reaching their destination in front of a butcher, the children gawked at the newcomers along with several others.

One was a troll of their likeness, with dark red locks and gray skin. He wore a tan cloak that reached his shins, a simple peasant shirt, and brown pants. A sword was slung across his back, almost too long for him to carry. Who he had in tow with him, of course, was of much more interest to the townspeople.

She was shorter than them, considerably so. Her skin boasted a pleasant teal and her hair was of ultraviolet blue. Her bright pink eyes surveyed the scene quite apprehensively. She wore no shackles or restraints, but followed their fellow pureblood most closely and obediently. A gesture that made them all reel in confusion.

The two continued their way through the town, and her ears pricked at the vicious whispers behind her as people continued to stare at her in disgusted intrigue.

"Is that a _troll_? I've never seen one so brightly colored!"

"Of course she's a troll! Do you not see her ears?"

"Ah, but what troll wears their hair like _that_?"

"She _must_ be one of those Rowan half-breeds. There's no other explanation for her. What an absolutely freakish little thing."

Briar heard the chatter as well, his lips pursing even more as he eyed Princess Willow's hurt expression at their talk. He had not spoken during the entire trip, for he felt that if he had, it would only dig his hole deeper with the Princess.

Their relationship was…..complicated at best. There was no going back on what he had done, nor was there any sign of a possible mend in the future. She had completely shut him out, when he wanted nothing more than to tell her everything.

But how? How could he even begin to tell her the weight of all his problems? He was convinced that now more than ever she would not care to listen to them. His moment for understanding had passed, and it was with this knowledge that he bitterly kept to himself.

As they neared their destination, he couldn't help but steal a few more glances at her. The streak in her hair had grown slightly, but was still relatively miniscule compared to the rest of her deep blue locks. Desperation tugged at his heart, and his emotions got the better of him.

"Willow."

The Princess did not so much as move in his direction, keeping her eyes dead ahead and her posture rigid as they walked along through the filthy streets. He frowned.

"Willow please….look at me." He pleaded. She kept walking, but slowly her eyes lifted to his, though the expression they gave off was one he would have rather never seen from her. She was morose, broken….completely embittered by his betrayal. And it showed in the gleam of her beautiful pink eyes. Those breathtaking eyes that Briar was convinced could cure any troll with half a brain of heartache. He took in a breath, his shoulders rising slightly as he did so.

"What I told you back in that field...it wasn't all a lie, okay?" He said, and he watched her expression turn sour as she puts both hands on her hips. He prepared himself for what she had to say, for he knew how sharp of a tongue she could possess, and this was by far an ample time for her to utilize it.

"Hm, which part? The part about you not being a pureblood or the part about how you were sent to kidnap me?" She responded bitterly, her mouth curved into a frown. He clamped up after that. It was no use. Any chance he ever had of being on her good side was ruined by his blatant disregard for telling her the truth from the beginning. He just gave her a sad look, which she only returned with one final grimace before the two carried on.

Approaching a heavily armed door, Briar pressed a small red button on its panel. Moments later, a repulsive looking troll answered, its one good eye bulging out profusely as it peered down at the two of them. Willow jumped at the sight of him.

"Who goes there?" He bellowed. In one flawless movement, the male troll gave him a salute, spreading his legs apart slightly in a respective stance.

"Huntsman Briar, reporting for drop-off." He said, his tone fighting to stay professional. The guard glared between the two of them, eyeing Willow in particular before he rolled his eyes and stepped to the side.

"Proceed." He grumbled, and Briar gently took a hold of Willow's arm as he guided her down the stairwell into the underground.

Immediately, they were met with a foul stench and dripping condensation from the mud-packed roof. Small holes had been dug to allow greenish light to pass through, creating beams along certain areas of the floor.

The two walked on in silence, with Willow yanking her arm away and continuing down the pathway with Briar leading her. The two approached another set of guards, who had been eyeing them for several feet before they were within earshot. Opening the door that separated them, the two trolls faced the burly guards and the slightly taller one pointed a yellow fingernail in Willow's direction.

"This the broad?" One of them asked. Briar had half a mind to punch him for his blunt use of words, but instead nodded with lips tight in a line. The other guard wasted no time in grabbing Willow by the back of the head, a movement that made her grunt in pain. In an instant, they had opened the door and threw her inside violently, making her fall to the floor.

"Alright, in ya go. Ya half-breed scum." He grumbled. Willow shot him a glare, sitting up and rubbing at her scalp tenderly. The two guards chuckled as they ogled her.

"Pretty little thing, isn't she? Too bad she's got Rowan's poison in her veins." Briar scowled angrily at that, his fists tightening. The two guards then noticed him once more, and smirked. Reaching into his pocket, the taller troll of the two threw something at him in a small leather pouch.

"Here ya go, Huntsman. Direct from Deveraux himself, as promised." He said, thinking that the young male troll would turn away and leave. When they heard no such change, he looked to him again, this time with his own scowl across his features.

"What's the matter, boy? You got your payment. Now scram!"

Briar just stood there, holding the small pouch in his hand while still trying to get one last look at Willow. The Princess had since looked up at the unfolding events outside, her sad eyes locking with his for a split second before he was roughly shoved away. He stumbled a bit, still clutching the pouch to his chest and looking between the two guards with a glare.

With all the reluctance in the world, he turned away and slowly made for the door again. Just as he was leaving, he looked back one more time before having the door slammed in his face.

Releasing a long sigh, his shoulders slumped and his eyes fell to the ground. He lazily shoved the pouch in his pocket.

He couldn't quite place it, but the streets leading back seemed particularly empty and dark as he made his way back home. The lanterns hanging outside flickered in the wind, and a rusty old sign creaked and rocked on its rusting pole.

Swirls of gray and black filled the sky, which made it even more ominous to be walking along the streets of his home with no companion. He had lived here all his life, and it seemed that as he looked around at it for the first time in weeks, he soon found himself completely and utterly hating it as never before. Perhaps he had always harbored these feelings, but seeing his putrid homeland up close once more drove the hatred deeper into his soul.

He knew he was nearing home as he rounded a corner and spotted a very familiar run-down tavern, with shattered windows and small kettle lights hanging from the frames haphazardly. He heard the booming sound of cheers from within, and their voices immediately sent his brain into a panic. Before he could so much as slip down the alleyway nearby, one of the patrons spotted him and beamed.

"Why if it isn't ol' Briar, back from the mountains!" A rather tall and lanky troll called out, making the rest of the group eye him through the gaping window.

"Hey Colt." Briar said sheepishly as he walked into the place, his hands shoved in his pockets. The very tall troll, boasting dark grey skin and a tower of pale brown hair, leaned against a bar stool with his weapon of choice slung across his back just as Briar did. The sharp curves of his tomahawks protruded from behind his shoulders.

"Well, how ya been, loafer? How was that latest mission of yours?" Colt asked, downing another pint before slamming the glass back on the battered wooden bar counter. Briar watched the remaining foam glide down the smooth clear surface for a moment before opening his mouth to speak.

"It was…..fine." He replied.

"Aw, c'mon bro, we _know_ you have more for us than that!" Another troll, named Tez, chided him jokingly whilst giving him a sharp punch in the arm. His black hair towered above his head, his murky brown skin quite a contrast to Briar's light grey complexion and dark red locks.

"Guys, it was just a mission. You know how they go." Briar reassured his fellow huntsmen, at which the group exchanged skeptical glances before another troll decided to poke the bear even further.

"Yeah, but this was your _special_ mission, right? The one that would get you the key?" He asked. He was shorter than all of them, with white hair and gray skin. His name was Shale.

"Yeah, did you get the key?" Tez piped up. Briar smiled at his friend's enthusiasm, and slowly withdrew the pouch from his pocket and held it up for all of them to see. They gasped and gawked, giving each other high-fives and clapping him on the back in a congratulatory manner.

"Lucky! My folks are _still_ locked up in the underground." Shale whined quietly, kicking a pebble across the room.

"Dude, you must be _so_ relieved to finally have it." Colt said. The young troll only smiled bitterly at them, trying hard to mask his obvious discomfort on the topic.

"Yeah…..something like that." Briar replied. The three boys noted their best huntsman's slight disenchantment.

"Hey, you alright, bud? What's eating at ya?" Colt asked, starting to walk over to him.

"Yeah, bro. You've _never_ acted this way after a mission. What happened?" Shale asked, earning them both a vicious shake of his head in denial.

"Nothing. I just….I need to get home." He lied. The three stood there for a moment.

"Well, don't let us keep ya. We'll see ya in the AM, right?" Tez asked.

"Yeah. In the AM." Briar replied, leaving the tavern without so much as another glance in his friend's direction.

His heart clenched in his chest as he walked away. Never before had he returned to them in such a state, and he was not looking forward to the bombardment of questions from them in their weekly meeting in the morning.

Squeezing the pouch tightly to his chest, he continued his way through the beaten streets of his hometown, only one thing on his mind.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Queen Poppy had not slept very well the previous night, having busied herself with trying to think of ways to begin a rescue mission. Troll Village was abuzz with worry and were constantly asking her what their next course of action was. She said that they were thinking on it, but in all truth…..many things still seemed quite hopeless at the moment.

Her daughter had given up everything. Her happiness, her home, her freedom….Poppy was convinced that she had struck a deal with that wretched Deveraux. No doubt that she was in a cell in the middle of homeland right now, scared and alone. With neither Branch nor herself there to comfort her or protect her.

The very thought made the pink troll's blood run hot, and she paced relentlessly along the hallway as her brain continued to squander up dramatic images of her only child in the very center of the one place she had fought so desperately hard to keep her away from.

All those years placing herself in harm's way…..it all felt as if it were for naught. For despite her best efforts, Deveraux still found Willow and he still managed to rip her away from them.

Her wallowing was halted for a moment as she heard the clatter of metal nearby, and quickly she snuck over to the master bedroom and entered. She stopped a few inches in the doorway, immediately laying eyes on her husband in astonishment.

"What's all this?" Poppy asked quietly, gesturing to the area below her. A lot of Branch's old survival gear was spread out across the floor. He was tinkering away at a particular contraption, his hands nimble as he twisted a few bolts back into place.

"Supplies." He responded curtly. She frowned, clasping her hands together in front of her and coming up behind her love.

"Branch, we can't just go barging into homeland willy nilly." She pointed out. At this, he sighed and let the things in his hands drop to his lap, turning to her.

"And why not?" He said, an edge of annoyance in his tone. "Willow's in that….that _horrible_ place and you're saying we should _WAIT_?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion at his wife's opposition for his preparation.

"Branch, we need a strategy. The purebloods are smart, crafty even. They'll see us coming from a mile away unless we have a plan." Poppy said, unrelenting in her opposition to his reckless ideas. He stood up abruptly.

"I WANT OUR DAUGHTER BACK." He said, his voice cracking at that last syllable. She stood there for a moment, frozen in shock. He immediately slumped, giving a sigh and reaching to envelop her in a hug.

"I'm sorry…..I just got you back and we're already fighting…..what kind of husband am I?" He mumbled, burying his face into her shoulder shamefully.

"Branch." Poppy whispered. When he did not immediately respond, she placed a hand on his arm. "Branch, look at me." Slowly the two pulled apart and locked eyes, and she gave him a small smile.

"We'll bring her back. I know we will. We just need to be smart about it. Okay?" She said. He nodded in agreement, and the two embraced tightly once more, exhaling almost in sync.

"How is it that _I've_ become the emotional one?" Branch asked quietly, which made Poppy chuckle lightly.

"Having a child does that to you." She murmured sweetly, and the blue troll pulled away to look her in the eyes.

"Don't I know it." He mumbled, and the two shared a bittersweet but passionate kiss. They were still trying to absorb the reality that they were in each other's arms again, thanks to their beautiful daughter.

She needed to come home. There was no other way around it. And just as she had done for them, nothing was going to stand in their way.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **Welcome back everybody! I am SO thrilled to introduce you all to my follow-up fic for this storyline, and I hope this first chapter was enough to keep you interested! Get ready for a whole new slew of mystery, fantasy, and some new OC's that I hope you'll love just as much as those in my first fic!**

 **My cover art for this fic is my own fanart, so please enjoy!**

 **As always, leave a review with your thoughts if you so desire and feel free to follow and favorite if this tickles your fancy. I hope to update as much as I possibly can.**

 **That being said, please enjoy the rest of your day/afternoon/evening/night and I will see you all in the next installment!**

 **Yours truly,**

 **Heartforhumanity845**


	2. Chapter 2

_I HATE YOU._

 _You act as if Mom was the only troll you ever cared about._

 _I'm done trying to be enough for you. If it's alone you want, then alone you'll get. I won't bother you anymore._

She hugged herself tighter, squeezing her eyes shut in a failed attempt to drive out her guilt, her regret that still haunted her like a ghost of unrelenting pain. Though she had never meant any of it, she could not help but assume that it had drove the one troll she looked up to most even farther away.

Night was beginning to fall again, but she barely had any concept of how much time had passed since she was thrown into the dark and dank cell. Condensation lined the brick walls heavily, along with a green substance she could only assume was moss. Dripping water could be heard echoing nearby, and for the sake of her own line of vision, she believed herself to be completely alone.

Alone and completely at a loss for hope, or even joy. Any sign of a rejuvenation in her spirits was hundreds of miles away, happy and colorful once more.

A draft had begun to whisk through the small barred window high above her head, and there she sat for the longest moment, until something fell onto the floor with a click. Her eyes immediately shot up, observing a small stone of sorts, smooth and white in appearance. She tilted her head in confusion, pushing herself up onto her feet and cautiously toeing over to the rock. As she did so, a sharp bark made her jump in the air, her hand pressing to her chest as she looked to the door of her cell. There, perched along the panel and peeping its long snout in through the window, was a four-legged creature with rows of sharp teeth and a long scaly tail. Fur covered most of its head and thorax, with four-inch claws jutting from its bird-like feet.

The girl observed the animal for a long moment, watching it whine and look longingly at the stone that lay at her feet.

She quietly picked it up, holding it out for the creature to see. It immediately threw its head up in a series of excited barks, its rump wagging incessantly and making its tail smack against the walls on either side of the door. She smiled, lifting the stone above her head to throw it through the small window and back to the creature.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The voice made her jump once more, and she snapped her head in the direction from whence it came. Along one of the many beams of dim light that poured into the underground, a face appeared. Its ice blue eyes watched the Princess for a moment as she stammered to speak.

"Wh-why not?" She asked.

"You throw that stone one time, and Louie will _never_ leave you alone about it. You'll be throwing it all night." The mysterious figure informed her, and she looked back at the whining creature before frowning.

"Then….what do I do with it?" She asked.

"Here. Give it ta me." The figure demanded, and the troll watched as a slim arm came into view, light yellow in skin tone and considerably smaller than hers. She wordlessly obeyed, dropping the stone into her upturned palm. In an instant, the figure heaved it across the way, sending Louie barreling after it.

"Dumb mutt. I always wonder why they chose _him_ out of all the dogs in the pound to become the night watch." The voice chided, and the young troll squinted to try and make out the rest of the figure. Its eyes turned to her once more, making her give a sharp little gasp. However, with one lean forward, the rest of the figure came into view, revealing a small winged woman with curly antennae atop her head and a simple halter gown adorning her tiny torso and upper legs. She had pale yellow skin and orange hair, a streak of green running along her bangs. She leaned both arms against the bars that separated the two of them, tracing a finger along the closest one.

"Hi. Name's Tallulah, but you can call me Lu." The creature introduced herself, flashing a smile in her direction. The troll nodded before Lu raised a brow expectedly.

"So, what'd you get saddled with?" This made the young troll scoff.

"I didn't get _saddled_ with anything. It's Willow." She informed the small winged woman. She nodded, looking down thoughtfully as she weighed the name in her mind.

"Willow…..I like it. Now what's a pretty dame with a pretty name like you doin' way down here? I thought they didn't put your kind on this part of town." Lu asked out of curiosity, but this only furthered Willow's confusion.

"My kind? What exactly _are you?_ " She asked. It was Lu's turn to shoot her a confused look.

"What'd'ya mean, what am I? I'm a sprite for crying out loud! Are you blind?" She asked, gesturing to herself. The empty expression that she received made her sassiness disappear, and she frowned.

"You've….never seen a sprite before?" She asked. Willow shook her head.

"No….in the story my grandpa told me, he said that all the sprites were wiped out in the last great battle." Willow said. Tallulah pondered on this, then spoke again.

"Hm. Well you _must_ be from outta town." She said, and Willow nodded. The sprite eyed her again, gesturing to her hair. "Nice streak ya got there. Where'd you get it done?" Willow arched a brow out of confusion for a moment, then tenderly took a hold and examined her black streak.

"Oh, um….it's not intentional." She replied.

"Then how'd ya get it?" Lu asked, genuinely intrigued by this confusing troll.

"Well, when a troll becomes sad or unhappy…they lose their color." Willow explained, but noted the completely bafflement riddling Tallulah's face.

"Not any troll that _I've_ ever seen." She said, grabbing at the bars with both hands to lean in even further to get a better look at her. "Where are you _from,_ short stuff?"

"Not here, I promise. I'm from Troll Village." She informed the small sprite, and at this her face fell in complete recognition and she gasped.

"What? What is it?" Willow questioned urgently, not liking the particular tone that Tallulah had taken on as a result of learning her origins.

"You mean…." She looked around wildly to make sure nobody was listening, then leaned in as far as the bars would allow. "….you're part of Rowan's crowd?"

"…..yes." Willow said, blinking a few times in surprise at the sprite's density on the matter.

"Well what on earth are ya doin' _here_? I thought Troll Village was hundreds of miles away from here!" Tallulah exclaimed.

"It's…..kind of a long story." Willow explained quietly, lowering her gaze to the floor as a frown fell against her face once more. Tallulah's demeanor softened at this.

"Well, I'm all ears if you wanna tell. We're not gettin' any younger, ya know." She said, and Willow looked up to her. The sprite gave her a gentle smile, and Willow smiled tightly.

Before she knew, she had spilled everything to the tiny winged woman, from the day her mother was kidnapped to the drop-off at her cell. Tallulah listened to every word, rarely interrupting the poor girl as she gave her life story. When she had finished, Willow sheepishly looked to the sprite for what she would have to say. She came to realize as the story unfolded that it was a lot to absorb, and Lu put a thoughtful finger to her chin. She flicked her wings a few times, taking a pace or two up and down the wall between them.

"So. You're a Princess, huh?" She asked.

"Yes." Willow said. "A direct descendant of Rowan, according to Deveraux." She said. Lu nodded.

"Hm. And this Briar who was with you….he's a pureblood, yes?" She asked.

"Yes." Willow said with a little more reluctance.

"What a shame. He almost seemed like a decent guy until you said that." Tallulah said, shaking her head.

"What, you don't like them?" Willow asked. At this, Lu's eyes widened.

"Don't like them? More like hate their guts. We've been enslaved by those mouth-breathers ever since the Great War, when Birch and all of his little monkeys kidnapped the Great King Elwood and his closest subjects for their own selfish gains." This caused Willow's bright pink eyes to widen in surprise.

"You mean….Deveraux _isn't_ a sorcerer?" Willow asked, recalling his abilities to cast spells upon others. Tallulah scoffed at this.

"Do you truly believe that it's _purebloods_ who conjure that stuff up? Nah. Us sprites are the power behind it. Purebloods have harvested our powers for centuries. They make potions, crystals, keys, and barriers out of us. And when we're old and can no longer make magic….they lock us away or send us to the slums." Tallulah said, kicking at the heavy cuff around her ankle where she was chained to the wall. Willow watched her do this, then took a cautious step forward.

"Is….is that what happened to you?" She asked, looking at the sprite in a new light.

"Somewhat, kid." Tallulah said, frowning for a moment. Willow realized that she had poked a touchy subject, and chose to end her questioning there. The sprite looked at her once more, giving a tight smile.

"Ah, well. No use reveling in the past anymore, right? Ya just gotta move forward." She tried to sound positive, and it seemed to work as Willow gave a nod. Without warning, Tallulah turned her head to the side and opened her mouth wide.

"Ayo, Puck! We've got a new arrival!" She called out.

"Puck?" Willow mouthed in question. Lu held up a finger and smirked. Silence for a long moment.

"NEW ARRIVAL? Is it a fellow spri-!" A voice suddenly boomed from the other side of the opposite wall in Tallulah's cell, making Willow scream in surprise and reel back. The sprite slumped in disappointment, pushing air in a pout through his lips and up into his mass of curly black hair atop his head.

"Great. Another troll." He grumbled before giving a hard look to Tallulah. "If you're going to get my hopes up like that, at least make it worth my while!"

"Ah but Puck, this is a very _special_ troll." Tallulah explained, and the male sprite glanced back and forth between the two of them, his eyebrows raised.

"How so?" He asked, trying to mask his obvious curiosity. Willow took another few steps forward, placing her hands against the damp wall to peer closer at him as the two sprites continued to speak.

"She's part of the _Rowan_ trolls. Their Princess, to be exact." Tallulah explained, drawing out the words excitedly as Puck's interest peaked, and he looked once again upon the troll.

"Is that so?" He asked, a smile tugging at his lips. "What say you, Tiny Tina?" He asked. Willow frowned, having had just about enough of the jabs at her height.

"My name is _Willow._ " She stated rather rigidly. The sprite scoffed loudly.

"Willow? What, did your parents just take a walk through the local park and go 'Wow honey, what tree sounds good?'" He joked, and this only seemed to infuriate her even more.

"What, did _your_ parents go to a hockey game and decide 'Wow honey, let's name him after the little piece of plastic they're smacking around!'" She retorted, and Tallulah laughed whole-heartedly, throwing her head back and clutching her gut as Puck glared at her.

"Ho, ho, ho, _feisty!_ I'm likin' ya more every second, kid!" Tallulah exclaimed, wiping at the tears forming in her eyes from laughing so hard.

"Yes, _hilarious._ " Puck brooded with a big eyeroll. He then turned to her again.

"Ever heard of Shakespeare, you uneducated twit?" He asked, his tone rather uppity. Willow gave a sharp grin, trying to hide her obvious displeasure at his attitude towards her.

"Yes, I have actually." She declared, and he quickly grabbed at the bars with both hands.

"Romeo and Juliet. Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 53 and 54." He belted.

"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!/ For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night." Willow replied effortlessly.

"Hamlet. Act Four, Scene 2, Line 7 and 8." He said.

"Tell us where it is, that we may take it thence and bear it to the chapel." Willow said. Puck raised a curious brow.

"Impossible. No troll is capable of such memory or intelligence!" He said. Before Willow could explode on him, Tallulah spoke again.

"That's what I'm trying to _tell_ you, Puck! I mean really, does she _look_ like a pureblood troll to you?" She said, gesturing to her once more. Puck gave Willow a once-over, taking in her bright colors and shorter build. He scowled.

"I suppose not." He hissed. "But if she is a Princess, then I am the Crown Prince of the Purebloods." He chided with harsh tones. He turned away after that, disappearing behind the wall. Tallulah turned about to register Willow's reaction, and frowned as she looked upon the Princess' hardened glare in his direction.

"Don't mind him, darlin'. He's just a little broken, that's all." Tallulah assured her. Willow's expression softened slightly at this.

"What do you mean?" She asked as Lu put a finger to her lips to silently tell her to keep it down. She crossed the room again, climbing up and leaning close to whisper at Willow.

"He was in love with a pureblood once." Tallulah explained.

"You better not be telling my sob story, Lu!" Puck's voice rang out.

"Aw, buzz off, mate!" Tallulah called back, waving him away. Willow only could shake her head.

"He was? What's so wrong about that?" She asked, though she felt she knew where this was going out of personal experience. Tallulah chuckled, shaking her head.

"Oh, my dear child. I don't know how things run in Troll Village, but here….it's forbidden and against the law to have anything ta do with a pureblood if you're a sprite. Causes too much trouble, they say." Lu explained, keeping a relatively low volume. "If you're caught fiddling around with them, they sack ya. No ifs, ands, or buts."

"So, he was caught?" Willow questioned for confirmation.

"Oh no, child. _She_ was caught. _She_ was the one who fell in love with him first. The pureblood, I mean." Lu corrected. "The punishment for a pureblood if caught is to live in the slums for the rest of their days, with no hope of restoration in reputation."

"I don't understand…..so what happened with her?" Willow asked. Tallulah shrugged.

"Puck took the blame. They locked him up, and cleared her name. She said she would wait for him when he got out of prison, that she would never love again." Lu said. Suddenly, Willow knew exactly where this was going.

"That….didn't happen, did it?" Willow asked, the drop in her voice prominent as Tallulah shook her head.

"He saw her one day beyond the prison yard fence, holding hands with another pureblood. He ran to her, begged her to tell him it wasn't true." Lu frowned deeply. "She claimed to not know him….said he was just a worthless sprite." At this, Tallulah looked back in the direction of Puck's cell. "Puck was crushed. I haven't seen him laugh or smile since then."

"Yeah, I kinda understand the feeling." Willow mumbled, more to herself than to Tallulah. However, this perked the sprite's interest as she turned back to the troll.

"You do? What kind of fool turned _you_ down?" She asked. Willow scoffed.

"Oh, stop. You don't even know me that well." She defended, looking towards the ground. Tallulah put her hands on her hips.

"I've got eyes, don't I?" She replied in a sassy tone, and Willow looked up at her once more. Tallulah smiled. "And the way I see it, anyone, troll or not, that has the gall to turn away a pretty face like yours is probably the dumbest thing this side of homeland."

"Well….thank you, Lu." Willow said, and it was at this that the young Princess opened her mouth wide to release a monstrous yawn. Tallulah cracked another smile.

"Alright, girly, get some sleep. I've kept ya up entirely too long." Tallulah said, giving Willow's hand a tight squeeze. This startled her, but she quickly relaxed and nodded at the sprite. They parted ways, and Willow tried her best to find a suitable spot on the cold, hard floor to sleep on.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Briar's footsteps had hastened just slightly as he approached an enclosed neighborhood, the fence being made of heavy wrought iron and stretching to heights well above the tip of his hair. The gate was closed, as it always was, with the glow of a crystal within the lock. He approached, producing a small crystal on a chain from his pocket. The two crystals glowed in unison for a moment, then the lock unlatched and allowed the gate to swing open, and he stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.

There were a few stragglers outside doing last minute chores and errands, one of them looking to him for the simple curiosity of observing who it was.

"The prodigal son has returned!" A voice called out, and Briar gave a small wave to the old woman atop the closest building, throwing her hands up in the air for emphasis.

"Hey, Daudie." He said, and the woman laughed, disappearing back into the building. He shook his head and continued on, peering around for his next destination.

Rounding yet another corner, he eyed at the other end of the street a rather run-down looking food stand that was manned by a single troll, her back turned to him and a hooded shawl covering her features. He approached slowly, reaching out a hand. He had just barely brushed against her shoulder when she snapped around, a dagger raised in her right hand.

"Get back, or I'll—!" She began to scream, but her face quickly fell to one of amazement. Her hair, a dark brown, was tied atop her head in a messy bun and she wore a simple spaghetti-strap dress of faded denim blue. She was almost his equal in height, with a rather skinny build.

"Briar!" She cried, throwing her arms around him tightly. He chuckled, staggering back at the sheer force of her throwing herself against him. He hugged her waist as she began to swing him about a little in her arms. She pulled away just enough to look at him with a sparkle in her dark green eyes.

"Oh, I thought you weren't due to come back until next week!" She cried.

"I finished a little early this time." He said, a chuckle still present in his voice.

"Oh well this calls for celebration! SAGE!" She screamed behind her. A few moments passed, then a rather sleepy looking troll busted through the front door of the nearest shack, rubbing his eyes with closed fists.

"Ugh, what is it, Aloe?" He grumbled.

"Briar's back!" The female troll bubbled excitedly, wasting no time in shutting the door to her food stand and opening the gate to their small front yard. Briar followed closely behind her, shaking his head as the two trolls whooped and hollered for his return, both of them enveloping him in a tight hug. He smiled, giving a legitimate laugh before attempting to push them away gently.

"Okay, okay, you two. Enough already." He said, and the two pulled away at his request.

"Oh, Briar. You know how much we worry about you." Aloe doted, a pout rising to her face.

"I'm aware. Now let's get inside. Curfew is going to be soon." He said, gently shoving them both along into the shack.

Inside, he immediately smelled the peculiar scent of boiling cabbage and beans, the stove completely covered with dinged-up pots of all kinds with white foam spilling over and hissing against the burners. Aloe quickly rushed over to begin stirring it once more, glancing back at Briar as she spoke.

"I was trying to get the shop cleaned up for the day and start on dinner before it got too late. I wasn't expecting you to be home, so I only made enough for Sage and me. I hope that's okay." She said, cringing only slightly as she waited for his reaction. Briar shrugged, removing his coat to hang up on the pegs along the kitchen wall.

"That's alright. I'm not that hungry." He said.

The wooden spoon clattered to the stove surface loudly. Briar jumped, looking up to lock eyes with Aloe as she put a hand on her hip, her eyebrows disappearing into her hairline.

"What?" He asked, furrowing his brows in confusion. She crossed her arms, the spoon still in her grasp as she rested her weight on one hip.

" _My_ brother, not hungry?" She said with skepticism, giving him a once-over and expecting him to explain himself.

He should have anticipated her reaction from the moment the words had left his lips. Briar rarely turned down the opportunity to gorge himself, a bad habit of his that came with being a still relatively young man. His pig-out sessions were notorious amongst his fellow huntsmen and his family alike, and they had lost count of how many times they had had to refill on dinner when he was around.

"Yeah, I just got back from the hideout and I-!" He began, but Aloe had crossed the room and placed a hand against his forehead, making him roll his eyes.

"Are you feeling well?" Aloe jabbed even further, a playful smirk tugging at her mouth. Briar only sneered in response and she giggled.

"Suit yourself." She sang, swinging the spoon around before returning to the stove to poke at the beans.

Briar then took the liberty to take a turn about the shack, looking over picture frames and items that he had seen so many times, but still had the capacity to look at them in a new light when he had been away for a while.

He walked along the hallway leading to the narrow staircase, smiling at the beaming faces of his entire family. His mother and father had their arms regally wrapped around Briar and his mother cradled a baby Aloe in her left arm. Things had been so different back then.

"I already have your bed made up in the upstairs guestroom." Aloe's voice yelled to him.

"Alright." He called back, and pushed onward until he was in the living room. Sage was sprawled across the couch, his nose buried in the latest newspaper. Unsurprisingly, he had it flipped to the comics section. He had a sketchbook out on the coffee table and a couple of led pencils lying next to it. Briar picked it up, leafing through.

"Wow, you're getting really good." He commented, and it was with this that Sage dropped the newspaper and lunged at his older brother.

"Stop! Don't look at those!" He whined, snatching the pad from his hands and hugging it to his chest. Briar chuckled.

"Okay, Mister Artist." He joked, ruffling his tall peak of brown hair. Out of the three of them, Briar had the most color variety. Sage swatted his hand away, giving a glare as he ran a hand upwards to smooth his hair back out.

"You _know_ I hate it when you do that!" He yelled.

"I know. That's why I do it." Briar replied, a playful smirk on his face as Sage head-butted him in the gut. The two started to wrestle, throwing each other to the floor. Sage grunted angrily, digging his feet into the rug and trying to create leverage for himself. However, Briar effortlessly kept him pinned in a head-lock, the grin never escaping his lips.

"You rotten big brother!" Sage growled, thrashing around wildly. Briar only laughed at this.

"Boys, BOYS. Stop that." Aloe scolded as she entered the living room with a towel in hand.

" _He_ started it!" Sage exclaimed, still trying to squirm from his brother's immeasurable lock.

"Briar, let him go. You know he's no match for you." Aloe scolded, and Briar released his hold. Sage threw himself back, straightening out his shirt and getting to his feet as Briar followed suit.

"Just having a bit of brotherly bonding, Aloe. You know that." Briar said, starting to reach for Sage's hair again but the fourteen year old smacked his hand away again.

"Well, why don't you macho boys come into the kitchen. Dinner's ready, Sage." Aloe said, and the two followed her.

"Just you wait, Briar. One day, _I'll_ become a Huntsman and I'll pummel you every chance I get!" Sage declared as he sat down to his steaming bowl of cabbage and beans. Briar sat opposite of him, with Aloe taking the last seat to his left.

"Don't hold your breath on that one, squirt. You have to be _tall enough_ , remember?" He poked playfully.

"I'm not done growing yet." Sage grumbled.

"It's true. Doctor said he has at least four more inches to go before he evens begins slowing down." Aloe confirmed for him, waving her spoon in his direction.

"Yeah, which means I'll end up just as tall as _you!_ " Sage growled, jutting his own spoon in Briar's direction with his mouth full. Briar only shook his head. His brother's teenage years were proving to be a nightmare.

"Speaking of huntsman, how did your mission go? You barely tell us anything about it before you drift off." Aloe pointed out, and both of them looked to their oldest brother expectantly. His heart sank.

He had almost forgotten about it. He had _wanted_ to forget about it. Never mind his fellow Huntsmen poking around at the matter, but now his family too? He wasn't sure if he could bear any more questions about it.

"Um, fine." He replied, scratching at the back of his neck while avoiding their eyes.

"Just fine? I mean, I know it's a job and it's probably not the most eventful thing in the world, but—" Aloe began but Briar cut her off.

"Yes, just fine." He snapped, and before either of them could pick any further, he spoke again. "Is there any dross pills left? I'm starting to get a headache." He said, rubbing his temple vigorously.

"Uh, yeah. Just a sec." Aloe replied, scooting her chair back and heading into the storage room to retrieve the bottle. Sage had been staring at his brother the entire time since his guarded answer, his eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. Aloe re-emerged and took down a cup from the shelf, dumping water from a pitcher into it before setting both items in front of him.

"Thanks." Briar mumbled, avoiding eye contact once again as he served himself a dose of the pills.

"Sage, I need you to clean the bathroom once you're done with your food." Aloe perked up, making the boy groan and drop his spoon.

"Ugh, Aloe!" He whined.

"No buts. You've been avoiding it all week, and you _know_ I rarely use the bathroom upstairs." She said.

"Yeah, except for when you spend two hours doing your hair." Sage pointed out.

"It requires delicate attention, you know that!" Aloe replied swiftly, plumping her large bun atop her head as if it had come undone as he said that.

"Yeah, just like your face." Sage prodded. Briar chuckled at this, earning him a glare from Aloe as she looked between the both of them.

"Well, it's not _my_ fault the one down here doesn't have a mirror. If I had my _own_ bathroom, I'd hang the biggest mirror I could find in it." She exclaimed.

"Well, that may be sooner than you think." Briar said.

This made both of them freeze and look to him. Aloe's face twisted in confusion for a moment and she tilted her head a little.

"Briar…..what are you talking about?" Aloe asked quietly. Briar smiled at the two of them, gently reaching into his pocket. He produced the small pouch and held it out for them to see. They both looked down at it and gasped.

"Can it be..?" Aloe whispered, her hands covering her mouth in shock. Sage began to absently rub at his ankle bracelet, a solid piece of metal that was clamped rather tightly. Aloe wore one as well.

"It is." Briar confirmed. An eruption of shouts and cries of joy emitted through the small shack as Aloe and Sage both rushed forward and threw their arms around him.

"We can finally leave the slums! Oh, Briar! This is so exciting!" Aloe screamed at the top of her lungs, the biggest smile spread across her face.

"And I don't ever have to go back to that cruddy school ever again!" Sage added.

Briar smiled at his siblings. For the first time in a long time, he felt hope for them. For their future. They were finally granted the key to allow all three of them to leave together, never looking back. They could find a suitable home big enough to house them, have access to an array of better foods and supplies. They could finally make a name for themselves.

"Sage, forget the bathroom. Go start packing!" Aloe bubbled to her younger brother excitedly, and the boy wasted no time in flying up the rickety stairwell into his shared room with Briar. Aloe stayed behind, clasping her hands to her chest and beaming at Briar, who also had a smile on her face. She pulled him into yet another hug, this one a lot gentler and loving. Briar hugged her back, burying his nose into her shoulder.

"Mom and Dad would have been so proud." She whispered. Briar's eyes shot open. He frowned, and his stomach began to twist into knots.

He had wanted this for so long….to grant his siblings freedom to live their lives in a decent place. To have a decent chance at finding their way in the world. He was convinced that that was all he needed in his life, that there was no room for anything else.

Until she happened.

Now….now he wasn't sure how to feel. He felt as if he didn't deserve the joy of finally earning his family's freedom from persecution and the slums. Anything he had thought before felt for naught as he thought of her. Her bright pink eyes staring up at him the way she had that night in the field. He had never been looked at in such a way….and he was convinced he never would again.

Being so wrapped up in his own thoughts, Briar neglected to realize that Aloe had long since pulled away and her green eyes had searched his pained features for several moments.

"Briar?" She asked. He snapped out of his trance, shaking his head violently before meeting her gaze. "What's the matter? Aren't you happy too?"

"Yeah, yeah. Of course I am." He assured her, giving her hand a squeeze. Aloe raised a brow.

"You…don't sound so convinced." She said, an ironic chuckle in her throat. "You should be. You've _earned_ it for us." She said. Briar spread his lips into a tight line, giving a short and swift snort through his nose.

"Yeah. _Earned…._ " He said, looking to the ground and closing his eyes. Aloe was no fool. She could tell something was eating at him, and she wasn't going to be as passive as his friends had been.

"You don't think so?" She asked quietly.

"Look, Aloe, I think you need to go pack too. I don't want us spending another night in this place." Briar declared, trying desperately to change the subject. Aloe wasn't buying it as she rested a hand on his upper arm.

"Briar." She said, and he sheepishly looked at her. Her gaze made the guilt multiply tenfold.

"Aloe, please drop it." He begged.

"No. You've never acted this way. It's almost as if you-…" She trailed off, a lightbulb going off in her head. While Briar had not been very exclusive on his job prospects, she had picked up on enough over the years to get the gist.

"Briar, what did you do?" She asked quietly. When he still did not look at her, she grabbed his shoulders gently to turn him to face her, and his ashamed gaze locked with hers. She searched them worriedly, her dread increasing with every moment that he did not answer.

"What did you _do_?" She repeated much more urgently.

Briar tensed up, fighting back the tears that were building up. He inhaled deeply, glancing backwards for a moment to make sure Sage was not coming back down the stairs. He took his sister's hand, jerking his head in the direction of the front door.

"Come on." He ordered, guiding them outside onto the tiny front porch of their shack.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Just as Willow had done with Tallulah, Briar put everything out there for Aloe, the two of them sitting in the two wicker chairs set out on the porch. He was steady for the majority of the story, with a few choked words shakily escaping as he neared the end of his tale.

"Now, I…..I don't know how to feel about anything. My job, my hopes, my dreams….all of it seems like such a blur now." He finished, his hands clasped tightly in front of him as he inhaled sharply yet again. He did not want to look at his sister.

Aloe was silent, her eyes turned to the half-moon that hung high in the clear night sky. Stars sprinkled the dark blue canvas, glittering like a thousand fireflies.

"So….you messed up. Why beat yourself up about it?" She asked. He took in a breath, preparing himself for what he was about to say next. The one thing that had been on his mind for the entire time since Willow had scorned him so deeply on their trip through the portal to homeland.

"Because….I was so caught up in taking care of my own family…..that I tore another one apart." Briar explained, squeezing his eyes shut and hanging his head. There was absolutely no movement for the longest time, the crickets chirping loudly in the grass.

Through the months of vicious training, through every scream from his superiors and every heel into his back to drive him towards perfection….through every mission, every assignment he received from Deveraux, he had only thought of one thing. Earning that key. He was willing to sacrifice everything and anything to get what he wanted, and now it seemed as if he had done just that. Though in all his years of bounty hunting, he was never told once the cost of such a life. The weight it would bear on his shoulders. All of those innocent lives he had sent to Deveraux, all those families he had ripped to shreds…and this one was the one that broke him.

"So, fix it."

Briar looked to Aloe, seeing her determined expression across her face.

"It's not that simple." He argued.

"Doesn't have to be. The only thing that matters is that you make it right."

"Do you have any _idea_ what they'll do to us if I went rogue, Aloe? Do you have ANY IDEA?" He shouted, his voice now frantic and fearful. Aloe stared at him in shock. It wasn't often that he rose his voice, and she was frightened. He stared at her with his eyes wide, his breathing escalating. His eyebrows furrowed.

"Do you even _remember_?" He whispered. Aloe blinked back accumulating tears, knowing exactly what he was speaking of.

"Of course I remember, Briar. That's not something you just forget." She snapped, her lips curled back in a snarl as she spat her words shakily. Briar clenched a fist, looking away from her keep from crying as well. They had both been so young….Aloe had barely been four years old at the time.

"Are you happy now? You know everything." He snapped back, and Aloe lifted her gaze to him. Something was still bothering her, and unfortunately for him, she was not one to keep questions to herself.

"Why do you care so much about this one? This…Princess. You've done this to dozens of trolls, maybe hundreds. Why are you so wrecked over this particular one?" She asked. Briar did not answer, but stared out into the night as well. Aloe gasped, placing both hands against her chest. Briar snapped his head back to her, his eyes wide. She gave a smitten smile, her eyes twinkling with realization.

"You're in love with her, aren't you?" She whispered excitedly. Briar ignored the pounding of his heart as he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Aloe…" He began, but he barely had time to continue as she took a hold of his hands and began to bounce up and down.

"Oooohhhhhh you _are!_ Oh, look at you! And here I thought it was never going to happen!" She gushed, completely over the moon. "Is she pretty? What does she like most? Are you guys gonna get together? Oooohhhh I can't _wait_ to meet her! I bet she's a firecracker, isn't she? She'd have to be to keep up with you….ooohhhh this is so EXCITING!" She rambled, squealing and flailing her arms around.

"Stop, stop, stop….Aloe, _stop_. This is absolutely ridiculous." Briar chided with an annoyed expression on his face.

"I don't hear you denying it!" Aloe pointed out happily.

"Well, I am. You know me better than that." He replied, crossing his arms tightly.

"Indeed I do. And I am _positive_ that you're lying through your teeth right now." She stated matter-of-factly. Briar groaned as he rolled his eyes again. Just then, Sage stepped out onto the porch with a confused expression on his face as to why Aloe was making so much noise.

"Sage! Huge news! Briar is in lo-!" Aloe had started, but Briar had snatched her up and clasped a hand over her mouth. He flashed a nervous smile at Sage, who just looked at them with a judgmental stare.

"You guys are so weird." He declared, shaking his head as he went back inside. The moment he disappeared from view, Briar released Aloe from his hold and she sputtered, jumping forward and whirling about to face him.

"Briar, you have to—" He placed a finger to her lips and shushed her.

"Shut up. We're done talking about this." He ordered, his voice firm. "Now go inside and start packing. You want to get out here, don't you?" He asked. She faltered slightly in her excitement, giving him a hard look as he kept his finger against her lips. She sighed.

"Fine. But don't think I'm keeping this to myself forever!" She exclaimed, waving a finger at him as she started for the door.

"Aloe, please. We both know you can't keep a secret for more than an hour." He jabbed playfully, earning him a smack on the arm as he chuckled.

Just as things should be. Almost.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He sat on the edge of his bed, still twirling the anemone flower about thoughtfully in his fingers. He sighed, his eyes droopy and his mouth turned in a frown.

Poppy walked by the doorway, looking in at him and frowning as well. She shook her head, her shoulders slouching. A knock at the door made her head snap in its direction, and she quickly made her way over to open it.

There stood Canella and Verne, their hands clasped behind their backs. At the sight of her, they both bowed.

"Your Highness, we don't mean to bother you but….we have something that you might want." Verne said. Poppy resting a hand on the doorframe, looking between them.

"What is it?" She asked quietly. Verne and Canella exchanged a look, then Verne produced a patchwork messenger bag from behind him. The Queen looked at it in wonder, looking back up to the two trolls for further explanation.

"It's Willow's bag…..she carried this everywhere she went. We haven't looked inside….we figured it was only your right to do so." Verne explained.

Poppy gently took the bag from his grasp, holding it to her chest tightly as she blinked back a few tears.

"Thank you both." She managed to choke out, and the two nodded, scurrying away before it became even more awkward.

A meeting was set to take place tomorrow night for plans on rescuing Willow, and both the King and the Queen were completely out of sorts about it. This was their daughter as stake, and they felt absolutely helpless on what to do.

Poppy carried the bag into the master bedroom, slowing her footsteps as she looked at her husband yet again. Branch lifted his gaze to her, his eyes widening slightly as he recognized the bag in his wife's embrace.

They wasted no time in opening it and spilling its contents out onto the bed. There was a few books, some pencils, and a few star maps that Poppy gingerly opened and looked at. She ran a finger along the handwritten notes over various constellations that were drawn in, reveling in the thought of Willow's hand once touching where she was.

"She _wrote_ all of this?" Poppy whispered, completely amazed at her daughter's handiwork. Branch only looked at her in despair, his chest tight at the memories of his last conversation with Willow. He had been so blind, so careless to what she had grown into…..nothing more than the best daughter he could ever ask for.

"Oh Branch…." Poppy continued to marvel as she leaned her head on his shoulder. He clutched her opposite shoulder tightly, pulling her in as close as possible as they looked over Willow's work, from the drawings to the calculations to the very innate journal entries she wrote about her findings.

They spent hours going over it again and again, hoping that in some way, Willow was with them as they did so, teaching anything and everything about the stars.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **Okay, phew! I made myself write a longer chapter for ya'll since opening one was a bit short! I apologize for the delay, I wanted to make sure I covered everything for this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it and please do not hesitate to voice your thoughts!**

 **Thank you so much for reading! See you in the next installment!**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Heartforhumanity845**


	3. Chapter 3

_First there was nothing, just the pale moonlight. Then, there was a house nestled on the edge of town. Quite stately in appearance, but the inside made up for it in coziness._

 _A young troll sat idly by the fire, humming to himself as he sharpened his father's swords. The task was delicate and quite dangerous, but his father had trusted him to get the job done right._

 _A loud noise from outside made him jump, letting the sword clatter to the floor._

" _Father?" He called out, craning his neck in the direction of the door. There was yet another rumble of noise, and he arose from his seat, cautiously padding his way over to the opening only to be greeted by a looming, hooded figure. He screamed as the creature disappeared, and against his better instinct, he dashed off in pursuit._

 _Through winding dirt paths and scraggily dead trees he ran, the figure just barely within sight as it continued to barrel through the dead forest. Briar's chest heaved for air desperately as he fought to keep up, his legs flying across the ground as if he was almost gliding._

 _Suddenly, a blunt force hit him head-on, knocking him backwards onto his rear and he grunted in surprise. Blinking a few times to get his spinning vision back into focus, he observed a large bonfire ablaze in front of him, the bright orange and yellow flames licking viciously at the cool night air. On the other side of the fire, with only half of his face alit in the glow of the kindled flames, stood the creature._

" _Thank you for your contribution, young man. I won't be needing you anymore." The figure hissed ominously, holding up a squirming form in his right hand. Briar squinted to make it out, when a flash of ultraviolet blue hair made his blood run cold._

" _WAIT!" He cried, lunging forward before inevitably falling into the fire. The figure disappeared in a flurry of smoke and wind, cackling loudly as he went while being accompanied by Willow's screams._

Briar threw himself awake, a sweat accumulating on his forehead and his chest heaving for air. His eyes were wide with fright, and he observed the moonlight pouring in through the small window of his shared bedroom with Sage. Though they had tried their best to pack efficiently, weariness had befallen all three of them and with reluctance, Briar told them to rest.

His dream still burned in his memory, the look on her face…..the dread he felt in his heart….

Right then and there, he decided.

Eyeing his younger brother who was still fast asleep across the room, he swiftly pulled himself from the room and down the stairs, going for his cloak and sword. However, the moment he had slung his sword across his back and turned to face the front door, two shadows loomed in front of him.

"Briar?" came Sage's sleepy voice.

"What are you _doing_?" Aloe whispered, taking a few steps forward and allowing the pale light to cast upon her worried expression. Briar looked between the two of them, his face falling in determination.

"Making things right." He answered.

Aloe and Sage exchanged a look, then Aloe reached for their coats as well.

"What do you think you're doing?" He hissed.

"Going with you. I'm not going to spend another minute with us apart." Aloe informed him firmly. He bit back his argument, realizing it would be no good to argue with her. Stubbornness was a trait that ran strong in their family. He grunted in defeat, shoving himself past the two of the them and swinging open the door.

The three siblings disappeared into the night, sneaking along alleyways and passing abandoned streets before ultimately coming to the gate. Briar produced the key from its pouch, holding it up first to the lock and then to the ankle bracelets around Aloe and Sage's feet. Instantly, the gate opened, and the three trolls slipped past it and started down the gravel road.

"Where to first?" Aloe whispered, keeping close to her older brother while keeping a hand on her younger brother's shoulder. Briar looked out to beyond the peaks of the mountains in the distance, his heart set on one place and one place only.

"Troll Village." He replied quietly, placing a hand over his pocket where their ticket to the far-off civilization led.

His two siblings wordlessly followed him along out of town, heading inevitably into the unknown.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tallulah hummed to herself quietly, taking a turn about the room in a waltz, a small broomstick in her hand. The bristles themselves were awfully mangled, but seeing as it was cell cleaning day, she was happy to even have equipment to do so.

"Ugh, why do they even bother with this? It's not like it makes a difference." Puck whined from the other side.

"Oh, hush. It's something ta do, ain't it?" Tallulah pointed out before looking in the other direction. "Hey Princess, how you doin' over there?"

No answer. Puck and Tallulah exchanged a look, then the female sprite advanced over to the opposite wall, climbing up to her usual spot and grabbing at the bars. She spotted the young troll sitting idly in the corner, her head rested against the brick wall and her eyes turned downwards. She still had a firm hold of her own broom in her hand, but her very demeanor raised alarm in the sprite.

"Willow?" She asked in gentler tone. The troll looked up at her with weary eyes. Tallulah watched as the black streak in her hair grew, making her release a soft groan. Tallulah's eyes widened in horror.

"Hey, Willow, stay with me, girly! Come on!" Tallulah cried much more urgently, rattling the bars to try and wake her up. Willow looked as if she wanted to speak, but ultimately slumped forward onto the floor in a heap.

"Ayo Puck, get me out of this shackle! Princess doesn't look too good!" She yelled.

"What, are you crazy? How can _we_ help?" Puck argued and she shot him a glare.

"Shut up, you little-!" She started, but the loud bang of the underground door opening made them both snap their gaze in its direction. The jingling of keys could be heard as three pairs of footsteps made their way down the length of the underground prison, voices echoing throughout.

"Yeah, she arrived a couple days ago with that Huntsman dude. She hasn't been much trouble yet, but we'll see." One of the guards said as he unlocked the first door to Willow's cell. Once inside, the other guard immediately walked over to her as she still lie face down on the floor.

"Alright, half-breed. Up and at 'em." He hissed, grabbing a hold of her ponytail and yanking her to her feet. Willow cried out in pain as Tallulah watched in distress from a distance, her hands gripping the bars so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

A rather tall and lanky troll entered the room, wearing robes black and gray with a silver sash tied around his middle. He had white hair and gray skin, sporting a thin mustache and beard as his yellow eyes looked her over through half-glasses resting at the tip of his nose.

"I say, I am intrigued to be seeing a half-breed this close after so many years." He seethed in a low, snake-like tone. Willow stood with her back straight and her eyes hot as pokers, shooting them directly into his eyes. However, a swift kick to the back of her knees made her yelp as she collapsed forward.

"Kneel before the King's advisor, you scum." The guard barked, keeping a firm grip on Willow's hair. She could only scowl in response.

"I thought Deveraux was the King's advisor." She managed to grunt out.

"Ah ha ha, yes of course, half-breed. The King has three of them. Deveraux, myself…..and the third. Which you can hope to never meet." He replied mysteriously before inching towards her slighty. He looked between the two guards.

"Leave us." He ordered, and they obeyed. He turned his attention back to her, his eyes softening slightly and a smile adorning his lips. However, even the relaxed expression was not enough to convince Willow he was of a gentle spirit.

"Now, my dear. We must see to it that you are in proper order to meet with His Majesty tomorrow evening." He said. "My name is Igor. I will be overseeing your preparation and escort to the palace."

Willow was taken aback by his almost gentleman-like words, and her posture slackened the tiniest bit. He gave her another look over, his eyebrow arching in curiosity.

"I must say, you do not _look_ like a member of Rowan royalty." He said, before his eyes widened in recognition. "Wait a minute." Without warning, he grabbed a hold of her chin and tilted it upwards into the light, peering into her eyes. "Ah. _There_ it is." He said, releasing her chin and taking a turn about her. "Every single royal descendant of Rowan has had a pink hue somewhere on them, whether it be their skin, their hair, or their eyes. Sometimes all three." He said.

 _Like Mom._ Willow thought to herself.

"What's this?" Igor asked, pulling gently at her ponytail. Willow did not answer, but it seemed as if she didn't have to as he continued anyways. Tallulah looked worriedly at the Princess as she sat wearily in front of the advisor, her eyes half-drooping.

"Oh, this will _never_ do for a troll! You must wear your hair up if you are to see King Cypress." He proclaimed, yanking her hair free before she could so much as register what he was saying. Her face fell a bit. Quite the regal title, isn't it? Tall and strong, just as he." Igor explained joyfully. Willow frowned.

"And as such, you are to respect him as King." Igor informed her.

It was at this moment that the haze temporarily lifted from Willow's eyes, her strength back though it was just for a moment. With her gaze dark and her expression sour, she glared up at him, still on her knees.

"He is no King in my eyes." She growled quietly.

"Insolence!" Igor cried, wasting no time in lunging forward and smacking her across the face. She yelped, falling backwards and landing on her right elbow. Her head spun from the sheer force behind the strike, and she held her stinging cheek gently. Igor panted, flicking his hand about for a moment to get rid of the tingling pain on his palm, grabbing at his wrist.

"I have tried to be reasonable with you, but you are testing my patience." He declared, straightening the rest of the way out and frowning tightly. His tone had turned menacing. "I suggest you get that tongue of yours in check, half-breed. Or it will be more than a slap next time to meet your arrogance."

He made haste out of the room in a stormy exit, slamming the door behind him and locking it shut.

It was at this point that Tallulah rushed to press herself as close to the wall as possible, and she watched Willow lay idly, her face turned to the floor.

"Willow?" Tallulah asked cautiously. "Willow, get up."

The troll princess groaned, putting both hands on the cold ground to try and push herself up. Slowly, she did so and pulled herself against the closest wall, leaning her head back with her hand still covering the tender spot where she had been struck.

"Don't listen to him, Princess. It may be true that King Cypress is the King physically, but he barely meets it in criteria." She said. This made Willow lift her gaze to meet the small winged woman, her eyebrow arching in interest.

"Wha—what do you mean?" She questioned on a breathy tone. Tallulah looked around to make sure nobody was listening, then she leaned even further into the bars.

"Between you and me, King Cypress isn't the true King of the Purebloods." Tallulah informed her. This somehow did not surprise the young princess, but her curiosity only grew like a wildfire after that information.

"Then who is?" Willow asked quietly, hugging her knees to her chest.

"They say that the true Crown Monarch has been missing since the good King Aster died these fifteen years ago."

"King Aster?" Willow repeated.

"Yes. He was the wisest and kindest King who ever ruled these lands. He was beloved by all, purebloods and sprites alike, and had even began the process of setting us sprites free from our slavery. Of course, there were many who opposed his kind nature, especially those who had gotten used to having sprites under their thumb. Then, one night, King Aster and his family were murdered in their home, leaving no survivors."

"There was an uproar, and for weeks everyone searched high and low for the culprits responsible. However, when nobody was found, there was new unrest on who would take over the throne. Unfortunately, King Aster's father had had an affair with a servant woman several years before his marriage to King Aster's mother, and she had produced a child who had been kept in secret for quite some time. Cypress came forward, being almost thirty years of age and already married with a six-year-old son, to claim his rights. Seeing as there were no other offspring, he was granted the throne. His reign of terror has been a thorn in our side ever since."

Willow took in the small history lesson thoughtfully, though her body was aching to collapse into a deep sleep. One thing was still left unsaid, and she cautiously lifted her eyes to Tallulah again.

"Um, the son of King Cypress. What is his name?" She asked.

"Prince Thorn." Tallulah informed her, and Willow's blood ran cold.

 _WHAT?_ She thought, her mind spinning like a top. The one troll she had least wanted anything more to do with was the son to the very man she had given her freedom to. Oh, this was _not_ good.

"Hey, you alright there, Princess?" Tallulah asked, cocking her head to once side as she watched the color drain from her face.

"Yeah, yeah. Fine." Willow muttered, her eyes wide as she shivered, holding herself closer.

"Don't you worry, Your Highness. Prince Thorn will never become King so long as the long-lost child of King Aster comes forward to claim the throne in time." Tallulah informed her, trying to cheer her up. It did not seem to help at all, as Willow only absently nodded to her. Tallulah frowned.

"But….you said all of them were killed." Willow pointed out after a few moments, completely confused. A small, knowing smile spread across Tallulah's features.

"Well, you see, that's what the _purebloods_ believe. We sprites are far more intuitive, and we believe very strongly that King Aster's child escaped the bloodshed and has been in hiding these fifteen years." Tallulah explained.

"What makes you so sure?" Willow inquired further.

"Simple. They never produced a body for him or her. And it was well-known throughout the land that King Aster and Queen Begonia had a child." Tallulah explained.

"Well, I guess that makes sense to have suspicions then." The Princess agreed.

"Suspicions? More like facts, Your Highness." Tallulah corrected before jumping down from her spot, rattling the chain attached to her ankle. Willow tried her best to keep an eye on her, but found it impossible as she was physically unable to hoist herself up.

"Regardless, one thing is for sure." Tallulah's voice echoed back to her. "We have _got_ to get you outta here. PUCK!"

"Oh, quit your yelling, old lady!" Puck's voice whined, making Willow crack a smile and giggle. Suddenly, all movement ceased for a moment. Willow's ears perked up at the empty sound before the rattle of Tallulah's chain skittered across the floor until she was once again in her spot, peering in at her.

"You laughed." Tallulah stated softly.

"Yeah, I guess I did." Willow said after getting over the confusion of her dramatic reaction. It came to her realization that she had not laughed the entire time she had been in the underground prison, and the sprite had also taken notice. Tallulah's face then melted away into an absolutely smitten expression.

"Your laugh is lovely, girly. You should do it more often." Tallulah explained. This only made Willow shake her head bashfully, looking away as Tallulah laughed herself.

"What are you all giggling about over there?" Puck called out. Talllulah's expression turned to annoyance.

"Never you mind that! Just get Vole over here!" She ordered.

"Vole? Why the heck do you want _that_ little bottom feeder?" Puck argued.

"Just _do it_." She hissed.

"Okay, okay!" Puck surrendered before retreating deeper into his own cell.

"I swear, he gets on my LAST nerve…." Tallulah grumbled to herself as she rubbed her temples. Willow watched her quietly, going over everything she had heard once more in her head.

She wasn't entirely sure what was happening to her. She had never seen a troll like her before. Once a troll went gray, they did it all in one sitting. Not piece by piece such as she was doing. And why on earth was she feeling so lethargic? It was as if she was almost….

Her thoughts were interrupted as the ceiling above began to crackle, clumps of mud and dirt sprinkling down to the floor all around her as something made its way across.

"Uh, Lu?" Willow called out. Tallulah was there in a flash, observing the movement as well with a triumphant smile on her face. She bounced a little in excitement, until an eruption of dirt poured into her small barred window of her cell and suddenly, a tiny creature stood there grinning in at her.

"Vole! Long time no see!" Tallulah exclaimed, throwing her arms out happily as she greeted the little furry creature.

"Miss Tallulah. What a pleasure it is to see you again, my dear." Vole replied through a rather nasal voice, flashing his crooked buck teeth as he continued to peer at her.

"I suspect you know why I called you here." Tallulah declared with a raised brow. Vole's mouth curved into a toothy grin.

"What is it that you seek, dear lady?" He asked, giving a mock bow. Tallulah rolled her eyes at this before pointing to her ankle and lifting it for him to see.

"A way out of this shackle." She informed him. Vole cocked his head to the left.

"You surprise me, woman. You drag me all the way out here from the coziness of my burrow to request a mere trinket? It's like you don't even know me!" He replied dramatically, placing the back of his hand to his forehead and swooning.

"Do you want the task or not?" The sprite snapped, starting to lose patience.

"You know I can never turn down a chance to bamboozle a pureblood, Tallulah darling." He pointed out in a mischievous way. She nodded, but then looked backwards in Willow's direction, realizing that the young princess was watching them.

"Also, um…" At this, Tallulah pulled him close and turned her head away from Willow, whispering furiously at a volume that even Willow could not pick up with her highly sensitive ears. She frowned, her curiosity burning as to what they were speaking of. Vole yanked himself away after a few moments, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"Oh, my dear. I'd do the shackle task for free but to ask something of _that_ nature along with it….you know what the payment is." Vole pointed out, and with another quick glance back at the Princess, Tallulah pursed her lips and nodded.

"Yes. Consider it done." She said quietly. Another shuffle of movement that Willow could not see, then Vole clapped his hands together.

"Excellent! I shall be off then!" He piped happily, wasting no time in burrowing himself back in the direction of which he came.

That was the last thing Willow remembered, her vision blurring as she made out Tallulah looking at her worriedly through the bars of the opposite wall, her point of view tilting until there was nothing but darkness.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Alright, alright, order!" Poppy yelled around the room at the group gathered in the royal pod. The Snack Pack, Misfits, and a few other trolls were present for the meeting, and it had been going swimmingly until River had pointed out that there was a possibility of purebloods coming to their village and attacking. It caused an uproar, and Branch and Poppy fought for several moments to regain composure of the room.

"They aren't going to come here so long as they have my daughter." Poppy informed them once they had settled down enough.

"And what makes you so sure, Your Majesty?" River asked, still skeptical of the entire ordeal.

"Because….." Poppy began, exchanging a pained look with Branch, who just frowned back at her. Poppy sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "…..because they'll have everything they need with her."

"What do you mean?" Canella asked.

"I can't explain any further." Poppy quickly replied, clenching a fist. "I just….I need you all to trust us on this when we say that we need to get her back."

"Well, there was never a doubt about _that_. But you said so yourself that this is dangerous! These….purebloods, as you call them, are superior to us in every way that would matter!" River continued to point out.

"So, what? It's not like they'll be expecting us to come after her…..right?" Chenille pointed out, at which another uproar started in what the next plan of action would be. Poppy groaned, burying her face into her hands to collect herself again before going through the same spiel once again to get everyone on board.

"I'm willing to go through anything to get her back."

Everyone was startled at the sound of Branch's voice, who had not spoken during the entire meeting. The entire room fell silent, staring at him as he glared back at them.

"I don't care if any of you are on board with this. The fact of the matter is, is that my little girl is out there." He stood up. "And I'm bringing her home."

He exited the room in a huff, leaving everyone staring after him and then looking silently between one another. Poppy sighed, standing up as well and wordlessly following her husband.

He had gone into the master bedroom and began packing again when she had found him, his back turned to her as she silently approached. She was gentle with every move that she made, her eyes locked on him as he had propped himself up on his knees.

"Branch?" Poppy uttered softly.

He did not answer at first. He could only sigh, closing his eyes. The warm brush of a hand on his arm made his eyes snap open again, and he looked up into his wife's worried eyes. He flashed a tight smile.

"Oh Poppy….." He mumbled, placing a hand atop the one on his arm. Poppy pressed closer to him, releasing her hand. She wedged herself between his legs, wrapping both arms around him and pulling him close. The King sighed, returning the embrace tightly and burying his face into her chest. The King and Queen of Troll Village stayed like that for what seemed like hours before they pulled away.

Poppy smiled bitterly at Branch, opening her mouth to say something when an enormous shuffle of footsteps neared their bedroom door. Poppy pulled herself away enough to look in its direction, one arm still lazily draped over his shoulders while both of his arms were still wrapped around her waist.

However, the trolls who entered the room were none that they had ever seen before. The Snack Pack was behind them, looking to them in confusion and shrugging to indicate that they had no idea who the newcomers were either. The foremost one, dressed in a long cloak and wielding a sword, stepped forward a little closer with his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Willow's father, I presume?" Briar asked him in the most respectful tone he could muster. The young troll could tell that he was though. Briar now knew where Willow had gotten her beautiful colors.

"Yes. Who are you?" Branch replied in a hardened tone, giving the boy a once-over apprehensively.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **Okey dokey! Another one in for the books! Thanks so much for reading and following along with me as I work my way through this story. The next chapter is going to be a long one, so please bear with me as I try to type it up in a reasonable amount of time.**

 **As for the second chapter of In Your Darkest Hour, I hope to have that up soon as well.**

 **Thank you so much for your patience and have a wonderful rest of your day!**

 **Warm regards,**

 **Heartforhumanity845**


	4. Chapter 4

"My name is Briar. I'm the one who took your daughter to the homeland."

There was a short pause, then a coil of dark blue hair wrapped around Briar's throat and he gasped for air, grabbing at it and squirming. Everyone began yelling different things as Branch continued to strangle Briar, his face twisted in rage with his teeth gritted. About ten seconds in, a voice rang out over the rest.

"Branch, hold on minute." Poppy said, pulling her husband away from him. Begrudgingly, he pulled his hair away and looked to her. She smiled. " _I'll_ handle this."

She looked to Briar, a gentle smile across her face. He almost said something else, but he was cut off once again by a tight wrap of hair, this time from Poppy. There was a bit of a commotion amongst everyone once more.

"Stop, stop, STOP! He was only trying to free us!" Aloe cried out, running forward to try and pry them apart with Sage right on her tail. Poppy faltered at the sound of that, looking between the two of them and back to Briar. She wasn't sure why she did so, but she slowly retracted her hair. The young troll collapsed onto his hands and knees and began coughing like crazy.

"No, Aloe." Briar sputtered, rubbing at his throat for a moment. "I deserved that." He looked at Poppy, who still had a very heated look in her eyes. He knew that glare all too well.

 _Explain yourself._ She wordlessly demanded as she stood by her husband closely, holding his hand. Briar got back up to his feet, brushing off his cloak and running a hand through his hair to straighten himself out from the ordeal.

"Your Highness, I have no doubts that you know the reason Willow was taken." Briar declared in certainty, and it was with reluctance that the Queen nodded.

"Unfortunately." She replied. Briar's heart clenched at the pain in her voice. He wanted so desperately to tell them everything, to tell them why he had gone to such lengths to tear their daughter away from them. But he chose to keep on course with his point.

"I've come to tell you that there is still time to save her." Briar explained. This made everyone present perk up with hope and there was a small hush of chatter amongst the Snack Pack. Branch and Poppy themselves seemed to soften in their demeanor a little at the news. Briar looked between all of them, gripping the strap across his chest. "If you follow me and my siblings, we'll take you to the underground prison where she's being held. We'll set her free and send you back here, no questions asked."

"Well, I—" Poppy began, but Branch placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait a second." He cut in, peering skeptically at the young troll. "How do we know this isn't some sort of trap?" His gaze was probably the most judgmental one the young troll had ever seen, though he had no room or reason to blame him. Briar took a deep breath, hating what he had to say next.

"I can't assure you of that. You're just going to have to trust me." He replied. Yet another wave of gasps and chatter erupted amidst everyone present, with Branch's expression turning even more sour at the dissatisfying answer.

"Pfft, trust one of _you_? You're crazy!" Poppy exclaimed, throwing her hand out to him for emphasis.

"And how did you get past the crystals? I thought their purpose was to keep purebloods out!" Canella added from behind them, glaring particularly Briar. He frowned, licking his lips in thought.

"Huntsman secret." He replied, trying not to grab for the satchel in his pocket.

" _No secrets._ " Poppy ordered, taking a few steps forward. "If you want us to trust you, tell us everything you know."

Briar looked to Aloe and Sage, who stood quietly a few feet away. Aloe nodded to him and his posture relaxed after that.

"We have a slight advantage over your people, Your Majesty." He said. "Contrary to what you and all of your ancestors have been told, sprites are very much still alive. Purebloods…." He trailed off, clenching his jaw for a moment. "….we've used them for our own advantages for hundreds of years. We wield their magic, make crystals and keys out of them, cast spells of any and all kinds. Even ones that can reverse the effects of another spell."

"So, you're saying nothing is truly protecting us?" River joined in. Briar frowned.

"Not anymore as of a few months ago. I admit that it took centuries to perfect it, but we finally found the right combination of spells to slip past your barrier with ease. Every Huntsman carries a crystal of it now. I just happened to be the first to utilize it." He explained. Noting the worried looks of everyone present, he added to his statement quickly. "But hear me when I say that the King is not after anyone here. He already has gotten what he wanted." He said with reluctance.

"Princess Willow." Rosemary whispered from the far end, holding Jules by the shoulders in front of her. Briar nodded to her before turning back to Branch and Poppy. He had never seen a pair of trolls so upset.

"Please, Your Majesties. I urge you to come with me. We have time to save her, but it is dwindling every moment we stand here debating." He stated in urgency. There was a hush over the group as all eyes fell on the King and Queen. The two looked to one another sadly. Poppy sighed, stepping even closer to him.

"How many will we need?" She asked.

" _What_? Poppy, you can't be serio-!" Branch started to protest.

"You said you'd do anything to bring her back. Here's our chance." Poppy snapped back at him. Branch clamped up for a moment, balling his fist while giving a seething glare in Briar's direction. He rolled his eyes, giving a heavy sigh and crossing his arms. Wordlessly submitting to the plan.

"The crystal's power diminishes little by little with every troll you add on to the travel. I'd say to effectively get back to homeland before tomorrow night, we can't take any more than four. That's taking myself and my siblings into consideration as well." Briar estimated.

"So, besides the King and Queen, who else will go?" River asked, and they began looking around.

"We'll go."

Everyone turned to look at Canella and Verne, who stepped forward with their hands clasped together. Briar should have guessed. Willow's closest friends.

"Oh no you aren't! You have already given me enough heartache with your last rescue mission!" Rosemary scolded, before quickly turning to Poppy. "No offense is intended, Your Highness."

"None taken." Poppy assured her.

"But Mom! Willow's our best friend! Besides, we've done this before now! We'll be better prepared!" Verne argued his case to his mother, who pursed her lips while fighting back tears. She looked between him, Briar, and the King and Queen.

"I swear if you don't bring my son back alive and in one piece…" She seethed, directing it solely at Briar. The troll nodded respectively.

"I understand." He confirmed. He looked between the trolls who would be accompanying him back to homeland and nodded.

"Alright. There isn't a moment to lose." He said, and with a few quick stops along the way for some of them to grab supplies for the journey, they made their way off into the night.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 _And I need you now tonight_

 _And I need you more than ever_

 _And if you only hold me tight_

 _We'll be holding on forever_

Tallulah had been sitting and listening to the beautiful voice for a long while, a gentle smile on her face. Slowly, she dragged her ankle chain along as she climbed to her spot, looking over to watch the young troll trace symbols in the dirt of the floor.

 _And we'll only be making it right_

' _Cause we'll never be wrong together_

 _We can make it 'til the end of the night_

 _Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time_

 _I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark_

 _We're living in a powder keg and kicking up sparks_

 _I really need you tonight_

 _Forever's gonna start tonight_

 _Forever's gonna start tonight….._

The sprite continued to sit in silence, then watched Willow lean back to look out the small window across the room, her face falling in deep despair.

 _Once upon a time, I was falling in love_

 _But now I'm only falling apart_

 _And there's nothing I can do_

 _A total eclipse of the heart_

Tallulah's wings sagged at the obvious key change in Willow's beautiful voice.

 _Once upon a time, there was light in my life_

 _Now there's only love in the dark_

 _Nothing I can say_

 _A total eclipse of the….heart….._

Willow stopped after that, closing her eyes and giving a heavy sigh. Silence was all that was heard for a long moment.

"You have a wonderful set o' pipes, girly. I had no idea somebody could sound so good." Tallulah finally cut in. Willow looked up to her, giving a weak smile.

"You haven't met my parents. It would be a physical impossibility for me not to have a good voice." She argued, and Tallulah shrugged.

"I don't have ta meet 'em. I can already tell they're good people. Especially your dad." Tallulah explained. Willow squinted her eyes skeptically for a moment.

"How can you tell?" She asked. Tallulah chuckled, giving a wry smile as she rested her chin on the closest metal bar.

"Willow, you'll come to find out that a parent is only as good as their child. You can tell who was rotten at raising a kid, and who was made for it. Sorta like, an intuition between parents, you could say." She explained. Willow's eyes widened a little in wonder.

"You're….a mom?" She whispered. Tallulah smiled sadly, her eyes watering a bit as she looked out her own window in her cell.

"Two boys. Ten and fourteen." She replied. The troll Princess continued to look on her fellow prisoner in a new light again, trying to imagine two little sprites fluttering around her and calling her Mom. It was bittersweet to imagine. She sat up a little bit, her ears drooping a little in hurt.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Willow asked quietly, trying hard to not sound offended. The sprite shrugged at this.

"Never came up in our conversations. Besides, I know they're both safe and sound with everything they need. They're living with my brother." She said, giving a breathless chuckle to that.

"What about their dad?" Willow asked. Tallulah's face twisted in agony at the mention of him, squeezing her eyes shut and clutching her chest tightly. The Princess didn't need any further explanation. "Oh." She peeped, immediately feeling stupid for asking.

"I keep telling myself that every night I spend in this god-awful place is one day closer to being free. To seeing them again." Tallulah declared. "Somehow, it gets me through."

Willow pondered on this thoughtfully, then decided to ask a less painful question.

"What's their names?" The sprite smiled sweetly, looking down to fiddle with her hands.

"Nico and Marty." She replied warmly. "Nico is my oldest and he loves baseball. Marty's my baby and is the top of his class this year. They're both stubborn brats who butt heads with me every chance they get." She informed her before adding, "…..but they're mine and I love 'em more than life itself." She turned to Willow once more, suddenly giving a mischievous smile.

"You'll understand when you have kids someday. Maybe with that Briar fellow, huh? Even if he is a lousy pureblood." Tallulah joked, making Willow's eyes fly wide open.

"Lu!" She yelled, trying to ignore the blush creeping up on her face.

"Aw, I don't mean anything by it, sweetheart. I'm just jokin'." Tallulah assured her, giving a wink. Willow just shook her head, fighting the smirk tugging at her lips.

The moment was short lived as they heard the door open once more, and three pairs of footsteps entered. Willow had a sinking feeling that she knew who they were. Tallulah grabbed the bars.

"Don't worry about anything he tells you, y'hear? He's just a big bully." She said quickly. The Princess nodded gently, trying to bring herself to her feet before one of the guards pulled her hair again. She was successful, and the door unhinged and swung open, revealing Igor as he looked on her with a sour expression.

"Well, half-breed. Are you ready?" He asked. She was about to answer but he cut her off.

"I don't care if you are. Get moving." He said, grabbing her arm and shoving her out the door. The guards took either side of her with Igor following behind her.

Outside, they were met with a small coach. A rather stout-looking troll manned the driver's seat, and Igor nodded to the two guards as Willow climbed inside. She took the seat opposite of Igor, and the two trolls set off without so much as a syllable. It was quiet for a long while, then Igor spoke.

"I hope you are in sorts to meet with the King today. I'm afraid you are quite crucial to our plan for success." He stated. A peculiar thing to say in the least. Willow did not respond, but kept her eyes firmly glued out the window.

"Not talking, hm? Don't worry. That will change." He commented bitterly.

Willow ignored him. Instead, her mind wandered to the hills in the distance, and thought with great despair that hundreds of miles beyond those slopes was home, where everyone resided in harmony. It was a bittersweet assurance knowing everyone was safe as far as she was here.

A pang of fatigue fell over her for a moment, making her vision blur and her back slump to the side slightly. She fought it, pulling herself up straight and blinking rapidly to combat the weary weight on her eyelids.

However, the drive proved to be surprisingly short as the coach came to a stop and Igor cleared his throat, throwing his neck in either direction to crack.

"We have arrived. Keep your posture straight and your eyes anywhere but on His Highness. He dislikes eye contact." Igor informed her bluntly as they both exited the coach and began the long ascension up the many steps to the palace.

The palace itself looked to be of ancient architecture, with high ceilings and arched doorways with intricate designs carved along the walls. Nothing at all like the dank, dirty conditions of the remaining buildings surrounding it. Deep green ivy grew prominently in many places, with its wrought brown vines twisting and turning every which way like a strange sort of wallpaper. Their footsteps echoed in the great hall, and Igor greeted two guards who stood at the nearest doorway.

"Inform His Majesty that we have arrived with the half-breed." Igor ordered them, at which they both bowed slightly.

"Yes, Igor, sir." They said in unison before departing from their view.

"We are to wait here until His Grace calls upon us." Igor declared rather strictly, glaring at the Princess. Willow paid it no mind, trying to fight the dreary feeling in her chest. Standing idly in a quiet hallway was not helping the matter.

To pass the time, she began to follow the ivy upwards along the buttresses, taking in every twist and curve of the hearty vegetation until there was none left to observe. She spotted a small stained-glass window about twenty feet above their heads, and she observed how the faint glint of sunlight cast a prism-like glow amongst the jagged colors of glass. However, it was with the abrupt opening of the doors just in front of her that snapped her attention back to the situation at hand. One of the guards turned their nose in air, moving aside to allow them to pass through.

"His Majesty will see you now." He stated formally. Igor and Willow started forward, and the scenes that played out before them captured Willow's attention once more.

The throne room was significantly smaller than the great hall, columns of stone lining either side with a thick red rug running the entire length of the room. At least ten guards were posted on either side, all of which stood as if they were statues.

"Come in, come in, child. Don't be shy."

Upon a throne carved entirely out of a single cut of stone sat a troll of height similar to every other pureblood she had seen. His pale gray hair and dark gray skin were hardly anything to look at, and his attire was quite illustrious in contrast. The only natural color to him was his deep red eyes, which peered at her in a highly unsettling fashion. He stood up from his seat, clasping his hands together.

"I suspect that Igor has tended to you most satisfactory prior to this?" He asked. Willow stared openly at him, her face permanently frozen in a weary neutral state. The King's ears pricked in confusion for a moment before he leaned forward a bit.

"Are you mute, girl?" He demanded. Willow spotted Igor out of the corner of her eye, his glare murderous. She looked back to the King.

"No, sir." She said quietly, trying to subtly take a jab at his status. It seemed to fly right over his head as he threw his hands up in the air.

"Ah, excellent! It would be quite an awkward situation to have a mute troll on our hands."

"Indeed, it would be." The Princess admitted after a moment or two. With this, the King returned to his seat and propped an elbow up to rest his head on, keeping his eyes on her.

"So, tell me about yourself, dear one. What is your name?"

Willow said nothing, but only absently began looking about the room again. Behind the throne was an enormous stained glass window like the one at the door, but this one depicted scenes of what she could only assume to be the Great Battle. There were sprites in every frame, flitting about to aid their allies, of which were depicted with sickeningly bright colors. A particular troll of earthen colors was a bit larger than all the rest, with a halo of gold around his head. No doubt that it was Birch. A sharp smack to the back of her head made her wince and fall forward a bit.

"The King asked you a question, half-breed!" The second royal advisor hissed at her, getting ready to strike again when King Cypress held up a hand.

"Silence, Igor. I will handle this." He declared before looking to her once more. "Young lady. Come here." He hooked a straggly finger in his direction to beckon her, and she reluctantly did so. Upon nearing the King, she smelled a particularly foul odor of swamp and dead leaves. As if Cypress' appearance wasn't enough to make anyone run for the hills. He leaned in to her, his breath making her eyelashes want to curl up and disappear.

"Do you know what a leeching beetle is?" He grumbled. She gave a rapid shake of her head, holding her breath to keep from smelling him any longer.

"It is a blood-sucking insect that is native to these parts. It is said to literally drain every last drop of your fluids from you and then use your body as its home until there is nothing left." He moved away a few inches at this point, allowing Willow to release her air and breathe a little more comfortably. The King had made his way over to the left side of the throne, looking back at her. "Interestingly enough, I keep a few of them as personal pets in the well below my feet. See?"

Indeed, Willow observed the writhing insects in a mass below them, a pane of glass being the only thing between them and those above the surface. Willow grimaced in disgust. To her displeasure, he neared her once more, placing a cold, scraggily hand on her shoulder. She bit back the urge to dip towards the ground and roundhouse kick it away.

"Now, I do believe it would be quite a pity if you happened to encounter these creatures, would it not?" She shuddered at his implication, taking a huge gulp before nodding once more. King Cypress' mouth curved upwards in a malicious grin. "Hm. So _I_ think it would be in your best interest to answer me when I'm speaking to you. Is that clear?" The Princess could only nod in response, but this did not seem to bother the King of the Purebloods as he returned the gesture.

"Good." What he proceeded to do next made her skin want to crawl off her body and soak itself in soap water. He reached up a finger to trace along her jawline, hooking it in her bangs and taking in the deep blue hue of her locks. He gave a small groan in satisfaction, making a shiver go down her spine.

"It truly is a tragedy, Igor. She would make a fine wife for my son if she had the right genetics." The King called back to his advisor before looking her dead in the eyes. The look he bestowed made Willow grit her teeth to keep her composure. She understood completely where Thorn had inherited his own unsettling nature from. "You've got quite the pretty face, my dear." Willow could only scowl in response, knowing that any other kind of reply would surely get her another beatdown from Igor or even the King himself. Cypress turned away, once again claiming his spot at the throne.

"I trust my son and you have been acquainted?" He asked.

"Unfortunately." Willow choked out in a forced tone. However, the reaction of King Cypress throwing his head back to laugh made her jump in surprise. He wiped an invisible tear from his eye and smiled.

"Quite right, dear girl. Quite right. He is quite the _snake_ , isn't he? If only I had had another son." He replied, and Willow could almost swear to be hearing a pinch of reluctance in his tone. However, the entrance of another troll shoved those thoughts aside and Willow's blood ran cold.

"Father, you're embarrassing me." Thorn appeared in the throne room with a deep red cloak on, wearing a button-up shirt and black slacks. A small iron crown rested in his hair

"Speak of the devil!" Cypress exclaimed only half-excitedly, and Thorn's eyes found their way to hers and he grinned. He truly was a snake, both in looks and demeanor.

"Hello there, Highness. Bet you weren't expecting this, were you?" He asked triumphantly, gesturing to himself. Willow only smirked at this.

"Actually, somebody already happened to tell me of your relations." She informed him matter-of-factly. Thorn seemed taken aback by that for a fraction of a second before giving a shrug of his shoulders.

"Hm. Oh well. I'm sure this won't be the last surprise we'll have for you." His voice was just as unsettling as his father's and he was suddenly very much closer than he had been seconds earlier. Willow cringed.

"Thorn, move away from her. We are not finished here." King Cypress scolded his kin. With one more seething stare in Willow's direction, Thorn smiled.

"As you wish, Father." He obliged, taking up a spot by Deveraux and Igor.

"Now, my dear. I am sure you are absolutely _dying_ to know what we have brought you here for." Cypress questioned.

"You got me." She replied on mock surprise, reminding herself not to roll her eyes.

"Well it really is quite simple, young lady. You see, I am getting old and will not live forever. Thorn is my only heir, so I took it upon myself to ensure that his reign is as long and productive as possible. Coincidentally, certain events are set to align on the autumnal equinox which will guarantee that very assurance." He explained, having gotten up for the third time and was now pacing back and forth along the front of the throne room.

"What do you mean?" Willow asked quietly. He stopped for a moment, looking thoughtful before turning on his heel to face her.

"I trust your parents have informed you of our history." He stated in a hopeful tone.

"Yes, and history says that your kind has been butchering my kind for centuries out of a simple act of jealousy between two brothers." Willow explained with a hint of malice in her tone.

"Ah, but there is one vital point in our history that you half-breeds always leave out. Perhaps it is because King Rowan knew it would be his descendants undoing. Perhaps it was just out of sheer ignorance. Regardless, the fact remains that Rowan and Elwood, the ancient King of the Sprites, were very much like brothers themselves, and in such an alliance had brought upon a slew of powerful spells. One such spell has yet to be released, but we are hoping that with your help, young lady, we can unlock it and utilize its potential."

Was he out of his mind?

"And what on earth makes you think I'll agree to help you?" The troll Princess snapped back, clenching her fists tightly.

"Simple. If you don't, I'll send all of my best huntsmen to wipe out your entire village in the blink of an eye." He said, producing a small scroll that was neatly rolled with a red ribbon tied around it.

"You can't do that. We have a barrier, remember?" She argued with a sassy air to her tone.

"Ah, but you will come to learn, dear one, that us purebloods are far superior to you in every way, and have devised the perfect mixture of spells to break past your measly barrier." He explained with just as much confidence. It was with the fall of her face that he spread a wicked grin.

"You're lying." Willow whimpered, dread filling her heart. She had just gotten her parents back together again and they were already being threatened. She wasn't sure how much more they or the village could take.

"Oh, but I'm not." Cypress chided playfully. He leaned in, his expression darkening and his mouth turning into a scowl. "So again, it would be in your best interest to cooperate."

This could not get any worse. Not only was she bound to help them, but now she had to take part in some weird centuries-old ritual to unleash a power that nobody knew what

"If you're so smart, why don't you unlock the spell yourselves then?" Willow fired back after a few moments. Cypress shook his head.

"Ah, there is the catch. You see, Rowan and Elwood created a spell that could only be unlocked by Rowan's twentieth descendant on the night of the autumnal equinox, provided they were able to find the sacred spot in time. Luckily, we've done most of the work and have found the spot where this spell is kept. And guess who the lucky descendant is?" He said, leaning toward her expectantly as she quickly deduced what he was implying. Her heart sank even further.

 _Why me_? She thought to herself bitterly before Cypress continued.

"Your mother tried to protect you. She was quite persistent too. _Begging_ us to spare you." He explained, dramatically clasping at his chest to mock her mother. "Of course, in end, it didn't matter. We still were able to capture you, and now all the powers of ancient times will be ours to wield."

"What is it with you purebloods and power?" The troll Princess cried out angrily, having had enough of anything that had to do with magic.

"Power is what gives us everything, young girl. Without power and control, how can one even begin to rule a kingdom?" Cypress asked. Willow knew the answer to that question, but chose a different route of which to take her next question.

"So, let me get this straight. You need me to unlock this spell so you can use its mysterious powers or else you'll kill everyone in my village?" She summed up quite neatly. Cypress nodded and gave her a wink.

"You got it, half-breed."

"Why would you want to mess with this spell when you have no idea what it will do?" Her next jab made him frown, but he wagged a finger at her as if to assure he knew where she was coming from.

"We have an idea. We believe it to contain the powers of Rowan and Elwood's armies used in the Great Battle. There's even a manuscript from one of Rowan's last servants confirming the assumptions on his dying breath."

So that was the master plan. Gain the powers of not one, but two armies and use it to take over the entire world. He didn't have to say it; his explanation was enough. Willow said nothing, and he took it as indication that their meeting was coming to an end.

"So, you see, my dear, you are very much needed indeed."

Her head was spinning like a top. The concept of everything hung in question now, as did the safety for everyone. She thought of her parents, her friends, all the innocent lives in Troll Village. They wouldn't stand a chance, and it was all her fault.

The darkness in her heart began to creep over her just a little bit more with every heavy thought that she relayed across her conscience, and it wasn't long before a great wave of sleepiness crashed over her, and she had no room left to argue or to even disagree. This was her fate. This was her destiny. It's time that she started to accept it.

"Okay." She finally mumbled weakly, her eyes cast to the floor.

"Excellent! Now do head back to your cell, dear one. We only have just over twenty-four hours to prepare!" Cypress boasted jovially, gesturing for Igor to escort her back.

Willow barely felt or heard anything on the way back, her eyes clouded over in despair as her impending doom hung over her like a veil.

There was no way she was getting out of this one.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The slam of her prison door echoed through the place as the guards and Igor retreated back the way from which they came, leaving Willow on the floor as she curled into herself, not caring what kind of nasties made their way onto her skin and hair as she lay flush against the cold, stone floor. There was a rattle of a chain, and Tallulah peeked her head over to look at her.

"How'd it go?" She asked like one would ask a child how their first day of school went. Willow shrugged one shoulder, remaining on the floor.

"Just like I thought. The King is a super creep, just like his son." She replied bitterly.

"Ah, well. You won't be seeing them again anyways." Tallulah said before hopping down again. The Princess lifted her head in alarm at the sound of that.

"Huh?"

She heard the sound of a chain falling loose and collapsing to the floor, following by a creaking noise and the inevitable sound of a door swinging open. Willow's eyes widened as she spied the top of Tallulah's head through her prison door, her antenna bobbing up and down as she struggled to get the lock to unlatch. Successful after a few attempts, Tallulah made her way over to the troll.

"Lu…..what are you doing?" Willow protested.

"Getting you outta here, what does it _look_ like I'm doing? Now let's go." She said, intending to go to Puck's cell next to free him before they made a break for it. The troll Princess barely had enough strength to yank her arm away from the persistent sprite, and she sucked in a breath.

"I….." She croaked before completely going limp, making Tallulah snap her gaze to her in alarm. The winged woman threw herself onto her knees, hoisting Willow back up into a sitting position and grabbing the side of her face to tilt it back up in sight.

"Whoa, hold on. Stay with me. Okay, looks like I'll need to use this." She said, producing the other favor that Vole had scrounged for her.

"What is it?" Willow mumbled almost incoherently.

"Shhhh, quiet." Tallulah ordered her before popping the cork off the small vial and pouring a bit of it into her hand. Vigorously, she began to rub the substance all over Willow's face and neck, doing a quick swipe down both of her arms as well. Almost immediately, she saw the light return to Willow's pink eyes and she blinked rapidly in surprise at her sudden burst of energy. However, it was only confirmation for Tallulah as she nodded gravely.

"Just as I thought. Willow, when you made your deal with Deveraux, did anything strange happen? Anything at all?" She asked, holding the girl by the shoulders with a concerned look across her eyes. Willow thought for a moment, but only one thing managed to come to mind.

"Well, he made me shake hands with him. I felt something sharp, and I got this." She explained, holding out her right palm. Tallulah took it gingerly into her grasp, peering at the small nick in the very center of her hand. She frowned in worry.

"Oh boy." She whispered.

"What? What's wrong with it?" Willow asked frantically, looking down at it as well as if it would make a difference on what she saw.

"That Deveraux is a tricky one. He's put a life-draining spell on you." Tallulah explained. That didn't sound promising in the slightest.

"What? Are you sure?" The blue troll asked skeptically.

"Honey, I'm the daughter of one of the most famous spell casters in the sprite community. I know my spells." Tallulah informed her in a haughty tone, beginning to bring herself to her feet again.

"Then how do we fix it?" Tallulah froze, her wings drooping slightly in distress.

"….you can't. It's a blood-binding spell. One of the hardest ones to break." She informed the young troll sadly, who gasped and held a hand to her mouth. Tallulah looked back up to her, staring into her eyes before snatching up her hand. "We have to get you home."

However, the door to the underground prison once again slammed open and they both froze. Tallulah sprinted out of the cell, locking both doors behind her then doing the same for her own as she made her way back in.

"Lu…." Willow whispered viciously as she eyed the impending sunrise. It was about the time for the guards to be filtering in for their shifts.

"Shhhh sh sh! We'll make a break for it tonight, I promise!" Tallulah cried out in a whisper as well, hoping that the guards did not hear her. Thankfully, no further footsteps advanced in their direction and both troll and sprite relaxed. They took up their daily duties quietly, acting as if they had not just been scheming for an escape that night.

 _Every breath you take_

 _Every move you make_

 _Every bond you break_

 _Every step you take_

 _I'll be watching you_

Tallulah smiled as Willow began to serenade her and Puck with her voice yet again, making the daily work go by so much quicker.

 _Every single day_

 _Every word you say_

 _Every game you play_

 _Every night you stay_

 _I'll be watching you_

 _Oh, can't you see_

 _You belong to me_

 _My poor heart aches_

 _With every step you take…._

" _Remember, Willow. I'll always be with you. No matter how far apart we get."_

The bittersweet words of her father on her tenth birthday following the song echoed in Willow's mind. Though she knew they were apart, and had been for a while now, she replayed every memory she ever had of him. That way, she felt some comfort in this cold and cruel city in a land far from home.

 _It'll all be okay._ She thought, a small smile spread across her face as the ray of hope shone within her, quite a contrast to her dark thoughts earlier. Maybe, just maybe, it would be enough to save her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **So, I guess I must have had a burst of motivation or something, because I got this all typed up for you guys pretty quickly! I am super amazed at myself right now! However, in being so quick to upload, I must also apologize for any typos this chapter may have. I do my best to look over it at least three times before publishing, but sometimes there are still little snippets that slip through.**

 **That being said, I hope I am not writing too much for any of you. There are plenty of other wonderful authors to choose from in this archive, and I hope I'm not making anything monotonous. I just love this movie and the Broppy pairing to bits and want to express it in every way I know how. 3**

 **I hope you all are doing well, and I will see you in the next installment!**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Heartforhumanity845**


	5. Chapter 5

It wasn't very long before the small rescue team was making their way through the dense forest that preceded homeland. Briar led the group with his siblings trailing just behind him. Branch, Poppy, Verne, and Canella gaggled behind them at a safe distance, for none of them truly had any reason yet to trust the three purebloods. Aloe took notice of their apprehensive demeanors, and turned about to begin walking backwards to talk to them.

"Wow, you guys aren't big on talking, are you?" She asked in a light-hearted manner, feeling them out to see what she could get away with. To her disappointment, they only looked to her morosely. She frowned, but began smiling again when she realized she hadn't even introduced herself to them.

"Well, my name's Aloe. Like the plant! And this is Sage, like the herb. We're Briar's siblings." Aloe informed them, gesturing to herself and Sage accordingly. "I know you guys probably aren't too keen on getting to know us _that_ well, but you might as well know our names."

Poppy was the only one to look up as she was speaking, and the pink troll's face relaxed only slightly and a small smile spread across her face.

"Nice to meet you, Aloe." She finally said after a few moments. The Queen was not out of the realm of decency, even though she was in no mood to be friendly with anyone. Quite frankly, she couldn't stop thinking of her daughter.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Aloe bubbled, pleased to see that at least one of them was beginning to soften. However, her joy was short-lived as her older brother turned his head slightly to look back at her.

"Aloe, keep focused please. We have a mission to complete." Briar scolded. The teenage troll smiled devilishly.

 _Just the fuel I need._ She thought to her mischievously, and as the group continued to walk, she placed her hands on her hips dramatically.

"Well excuse _me,_ Grumpy Gus, I was _only_ trying to be hospitable! Heaven knows you won't!" She jabbed. This made Poppy look up again, this time intrigued on how the young man would respond. To Aloe's delight, she saw her brother's shoulders tense and she knew she had started it now.

"You're right. I won't. I told you, we're on a mission. We don't have time to waste." He replied.

"Oh, we'll be there before you know it. Why don't you loosen up a bit, huh? It's not like brooding about it is going to get us there any faster." Aloe answered, giving a half-hearted shrug.

"Goof around if you want, but this is serious. You know it is." Briar argued, feeling his blood begin to boil at his younger sister's insistence on humiliating him in front the only trolls he had wanted to respect him. Besides the obvious, that is.

"Wow, mind if I shove some coal up your butt? I've been meaning to make myself a new diamond necklace!" Aloe replied effortlessly, and she heard Poppy, Verne, and Canella snort in amusement. Even Branch had tilted his eyes up slightly in interest.

"Mind if I hang you up by your feet? We might attract some bugs with all of your yammering." Briar snapped. The young troll giggled.

"Awwwwhhh, you called me sweet! How thoughtful of you, Briar boo!" Aloe cooed, clasping her hands together and fluttering her eyelashes. Poppy full-on laughed at that, leaning against Branch who had also cracked the smallest of smirks. Canella and Verne were snorting mess as well. Briar rolled his eyes.

"Don't call me that. You're so annoying." He said. She knew she had won when he resorted to name-calling.

"Well, why not? It's not like anyone else is going to give you pet names! That is, unless you start dating you-know-who-o!" She continued in a sing-song manner. This made the young troll's face flare up with heat, and he took a short glance at Branch and Poppy, who both had paused for a moment in their amusement at the girl's words. His heart pounded, and he leaned into his sister.

"Aloe, shut up." He hissed through gritted teeth. The girl took no notice.

"What was that? I can't hear you over the sound of love in the air!" She mused, dancing around a bit in a circle. "I mean after all, that _is_ why we're out here!"

Completely mortified, Briar dared another glance at the King and Queen, who's faces had fallen again and were now watching both of them suspiciously. His heart and mind were frantic. Channeling his frustration in his tightening fists, he glared at his younger sister.

"Aloe, I'm serious. Drop this." He ordered angrily, and Aloe was slightly taken aback by his tone.

 _Perhaps I've gone too far._ She thought, but Poppy's voice soon disrupted her sudden guilt.

"Oh no, Aloe. Branch and I would very much like to hear more about why you three are here with us." Poppy chided politely, and both Aloe and Briar could hear the underlying threat in her voice. Briar wanted to disappear right then and there from embarrassment. Desperate to change the subject before his sister could create any more tension, he spotted with heavily grateful eyes the silhouette of a bridge in the distance, and he immediately jumped on it.

"Look! The Savros Bridge!" He cried out, pointing to it to turn everyone's attention to the heavily knotted wooden bridge. It stretched across a mighty river that had to be at least a quarter mile across, the other side considerably less dense with vegetation.

"The _what_ bridge?" Canella tried to repeat.

"The Savros Bridge. It's what connects homeland to the rest of the continent." Briar explained.

"So, homeland is an island?" Verne asked.

"Sort of. Homeland is its own continent, but this river runs straight through and it is impossible to get across without the aid of a bridge." Sage explained even further. "It's said that if you fall in, you don't drown, but become lost forever in the depths of space and time. Of course, nobody has ever survived and come back to confirm this for us, but we have never found any bodies either of drowned victims."

"Maybe the river just simply takes them." Canella suggested.

"Perhaps. Regardless, I wouldn't recommend falling in." Sage warned them.

"Wasn't planning on it." Poppy assured him. He frowned, giving them a sympathetic nod before turning to see what his older brother was up to. Briar had approached the bridge quite swiftly, leaving all of them behind for a moment as he investigated how they were going to get onto the bridge. Briar knew it was guarded, but he also knew that the method of guards for the bridge changed quite frequently.

Recognizing the sound of uneasiness in Poppy's tone, Branch slipped a hand into hers and she smiled at him softly, making him return the gesture. Aloe observed this sadly, and decided to try and amend what she said earlier.

"So, you're the Princess' parents, huh?" She asked. "What's she like?"

Poppy and Branch exchanged another pained look, and Aloe frowned.

"I'm sorry, did I ask too much?" She tried to backtrack, but Branch quickly shook his head.

"No, you haven't. It's just…" He trailed off, and Poppy gave him a reassuring squeeze of her hand before he continued. "Happiness is a big thing for us and we…we miss her. There's a few things I need to tell her…things I should have been telling her all along." He replied, surprised at himself for opening up so easily to the young troll. Poppy was also quite amazed at his boldness, her expression sad but enamored at her husband's words. Aloe nodded gently, trying to be as gracious as possible.

"Understandable. She seems like a really cool person."

"So, you've met her?" Poppy assumed. Aloe cringed.

"Nnnnoooo, not exactly." She answered in hesitance, then they both realized what she meant. There was a long pause, then she smiled bitterly again.

"Well, at least she still has you two. Briar, Sage, and I….we've been on our own for a long time." Aloe informed them, the intent being to make them feel a little better. Poppy was about inquire further about what she meant, but was interrupted.

"Alright guys! Coast is clear!" Briar called back to them, and the group made their way over to where he was standing. He shoved something back into his pocket, looking between them all before holding out an arm.

"Stay close to me until we've gotten across." Briar instructed them.

Once on the other side, they disbanded as they did before and Poppy and Branch continued their conversation with Aloe. Sage was making small talk with Canella and Verne, while Briar distanced himself from them at least twenty feet, his eyes peeled on the lookout.

"I can only imagine what it would be like to have my kid taken away from me." Aloe sympathized.

"I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy." Poppy answered gravely. Aloe looked ahead for the moment, watching her brother scour the surrounding area with his posture ready for any kind of conflict.

"So this prison our daughter's being held in….where exactly is it?" Branch piped up.

"It's in the heart of the capital city of homeland. All of the King's most highly sought-after individuals go there. It's highly secure and hard to get into. Luckily, we have someone who can get in no problem." The young troll explained, giving an alluding look in Briar's direction. He looked back for a split second, giving an awkward smile.

"We've gathered that." Branch replied flatly. This made Briar frown and snap his gaze back to the front. Poppy could only watch in silence, and for a long while nobody said anything. It seemed as if the weight of their situation was beginning to take its toll on everyone. However, Aloe broke it for the second time that evening as she pointed off into the distance.

"Your Highness, look! Wild haymill! It's great for a raw food source!" She gushed happily, and the young troll took the monarch by the hand and led her towards the field. The rest of the group decided to take a short break as well, with Briar standing nearby as Branch sifted through his supplies for a moment while they were stopped.

"Sorry about my sister. She can be a bit of a chatterbox." Briar blurted out, opening and closing his fists anxiously.

"You only get one." Branch replied in a rather disinterested tone.

"Well, yeah. I know. I just, you know, want to-!" He started to retract his statement clumsily, but Branch cut him off.

"Look, I'm not an idiot. I know the real reason why you found my wife and I and are bringing us back here." Branch stated, sounding rather annoyed. This shut the young man up quite completely, and his heart began to pound in his chest.

"I'm not going to pretend that Willow is five years old anymore. Because she's not. Her maturity and beauty is not beside my field of understanding." He slipped a few items back into his backpack. "She's going to have her share of flings and heartbreaks in time, and I can only hope she'll find the right one in the end." He started to sling his pack back up onto his shoulders, standing up and turning to face him. However, the look that Branch was giving Briar gave him the very strong feeling that he was not trying to be welcoming or sentimental with him.

"But hear me when I tell you this." He lowered his head a little and stepped closer to Briar, making the skin on the back of his neck prickle like crazy. "If you even _think_ about getting with my daughter, I'll make sure that you feel more than just my hair around your throat. Do I make myself clear?" His tone was low and murderous in nature.

Flashbacks of the incredible amount of pressure his coil had had on him, Briar nodded.

"Yes, Your Highness." He confirmed. Though Briar had quite a few centimeters on Branch, he was not above underestimating him in strength. The troll looked as if he could snap him in half right then and there, and Briar had learned the hard way through his Huntsman training that size did not matter in a fight.

It wasn't long after their talk that Poppy and Aloe rejoined them with pockets full of the haymill, and the group set off promptly. They were nearing the outer edges of the city, and they all observed with confusion at the flitting of many trolls along its walls, armed to the teeth and quite flashy with uniforms of dark, earthen colors. The Royal Guard.

"What's going on?" Poppy asked Briar as she also observed the peculiar scene. Briar shook his head in disbelief. Had he known they would have _this_ much trouble, he would have just gone and gotten Willow himself and _then_ made his way back to Troll Village.

"Looks as though Deveraux and all of his minions have upped security a bit. Maybe he _is_ anticipating our rescue." After a few moments of passionate thought, he turned to them once more. "Okay, change of plans. I'm going to go into the city by myself and get some help. We'll go and get Willow from the underground prison and try to bring her back here. If we end up taking too long…." He reached into his satchel, producing a small crystal ball that he had been keeping close just in case. He gently placed it in Aloe's outstretched palms, and she held it close to her chest. "Use this to see where we're at."

"Are you serious?" Everyone turned and looked at Branch, who had the most disenchanted look on his face. "We didn't come all of this way just to wait around like sitting ducks."

"Your Highness, I'm not playing around. You both _have_ to stay here. You're not going to be much good to Willow captured, are you?" He pointed out. The two looked to one another for a moment, then Poppy frowned.

"No." She admitted, lowering her eyes in defeat.

It was amazing how she could tug at Briar's heartstrings in such a way that made him hate himself even more for getting them into this situation in the first place. The more he was around Poppy and Branch, the more he made parallels on how Willow had become the wonderful troll that she is. It was clear to him that the apple did not fall far from the trees.

"This better not be a trick." She warned, still highly skeptical of the young troll's motives. Briar quickly shook his head.

"I swear to you, it's not." He said. "I will do everything in my power to bring your daughter back to you."

He spoke the clear and utter truth, but he knew they would still not be convinced until she was in the flesh in front of them. Without so much as another syllable, he slipped away to begin his journey back into the capital city.

He made his way towards the Huntsmen hideout, taking special care to look around and make sure he wasn't seen. He knew that what he was about to do was highly treasonous, but considering that he was already in hot water for bringing Branch, Poppy, Verne, and Canella back to homeland, he figured he might as well go big or go home.

He found his friends in their usual spot, circling one another and laughing loudly. Shale was the first to notice him approaching, and stood up.

"Hey, there's the man of the hour! What's it like outside the slums, huh? We're dying to know."

"Forget about that. I need you guys to do me a favor. A big favor, actually." Briar quickly cut them off, giving his arm an awkward rub as their expressions fell to confusion.

"Well, just name it, bro. You know we've got your back." Tez declared, and they all nodded in agreement. Briar cringed.

"I don't know. You may back out on this one." He replied ominously. Colt stood up, setting his work down on the counter and looking at him with a new level of concern.

"What is it, Briar?"

"Remember that prisoner I brought a few days ago? The special mission one?" He began, feeling himself begin to regret his confidence right away.

"Yeah, what about 'em?" Shale inquired.

"I…..kind of need to get her out and bring her to the outskirts of the city. Her parents are waiting for me as we speak." He explained, closing his eyes for a moment to evade his friend's widened stares of shock.

" _What?_ " Shale whispered.

"Are you out of your _mind_ , dude? Deveraux is gonna have your head on a platter when they find out!" Colt exclaimed.

"And you're asking _us_ to help you?" Tez added, throwing his hands up in the air wildly in surprise.

"I told you that you wouldn't want to help." The young troll snapped at them, shifting his gaze once again away from them. However, amidst the commotion, Colt had inched himself closer to his friend, and a wave of realization came over him.

"Hold up. You said _her_ , as in a female, right?" He asked. Briar began to shift uncomfortably in his spot, his eyes still darting everywhere but in his friend's gaze. There was a long pause as Colt looked between Shale and Tez as they all began to figure it out.

"Briar….do you have the hots for this chick?" Colt asked, an air of amusement in his tone. Briar slumped completely, throwing his head back and giving a groan.

"Not you guys too. It's not like that, okay? I'm just….I'm tired of doing this to people. I want to do _something_ right for once." He chided, only to be greeted by hearty laughs from his comrades.

"Wow, she must be really something to catch _your_ eye!" Tez exclaimed to indicate he had completely ignored his attempt to cover up their discovery, and Briar waved his hands in front of him.

"Enough already! Are you going to help me or not?" He said, feeling a twinge of frustration overtake him that also made its way into his voice. They continued to chatter amongst themselves quietly as the tallest troll amongst them held up his hands to calm his fellow Huntsman.

"Calm down, lover boy. We'll help." Colt declared, earning another round of chuckles from the group before Briar nodded, adjusting the strap of his sword across his chest before turning to the door.

"Good. Now come on. We don't have any time left to goof around."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was well into the evening before Tallulah made her way over to her hidden stash of items. She loosened her shackle, allowing it to clank to the floor as she made for the door, picking at it until it swung open. Her wings flitted impatiently as she also fiddled with Willow's cell door. Once she had found the right tumbler combination, she shoved the door open and made her way over to the sleeping Princess in the corner. She gently grabbed a hold of her shoulders, shaking her about lightly.

"Psssst! Willow! Come on girly, up and at 'em!" She whispered viciously, making the troll stir ever so slightly. The sprite observed how sluggish she moved, and she was hoping that it was just the effects of her waking up.

"What _time_ is it?" The young troll mumbled, her vision still coming into focus as Tallulah hooked her arms underneath her own and pulled her to her feet.

"The guards have been gone for a while, that's all you need to know." Tallulah explained urgently before realizing that the effects of the spell were beginning to weaken the troll again as she watched her stumble for the door. She quickly slung an arm across her shoulders and allowed Willow to lean against her as they walked. They would have to get out of the prison hold before she could give Willow any more of the temporary antidote. As they ventured down the walkway, they came across the door to Puck's cell, who was peering out at them worriedly.

"Lu, wait. Are you sure about this? This is _crazy._ " He scolded. Tallulah had had enough of his negativity, turning her body to where he could observe Willow's state. Upon seeing the weakened troll, his face fell to worry and sympathy, and he locked eyes with his fellow sprite.

"Let me out." He ordered. Tallulah obliged quickly and efficiently, and Puck wasted no time in hooking the other arm across himself to ease the young girl's weight between the two of them.

"Okay, if we make a direct line for the city's outer gates, we should be able to find a way back to the mountains." Tallulah hypothesized between huffs for air. Despite the fact that she was by no means dainty, Willow was still considerably heavier than the two sprites, even for being a smaller troll.

"How exactly are you planning on getting her out of here? She's in no state to be walking all that way." Puck stated, shifting another worried glance in her direction.

"We'll stop by my brother's house. He's still in the spell practice. I'm sure he'll have something to make it easier." Tallulah replied without any thought.

"Why aren't you guys….flying?" Willow asked softly, her voice clear but obviously worn down.

"Can't do it. The purebloods clip them to prevent us from using them." Puck informed her, demonstrating by trying to flit his wings upwards but showing the obvious struggle of doing so. Just then, Willow doubled over even more and grimaced.

"AUGH!" She cried out in pain, making Tallulah and Puck both stop.

"Set her down, set her down." The female sprite ordered, and they carried her over to behind a nearby building and set her on the dying grass. She kept her eyes closed, a hand resting on her stomach as she heaved for air wildly. Tallulah wasted no time in taking the vial out again, pouring some of it onto her hands and repeating the application process on Willow's face and neck.

"What's….in that stuff?" Willow mumbled as Tallulah did one last liberal stroke of it down her arms.

"Shhhh. It's only a temporary topical antidote. Deveraux must have given you quite the powerful spell if it's weakening you this fast."

"But…why….would he…..do that?" The Princess panted out before the sprite shushed her again. Puck had busied himself with shifting so that she was leaning against him and not the cold stone wall, an attempt on retaining her body heat by sharing his own.

"Probably a deterrent so you wouldn't get far if you escaped." Tallulah explained. "This kind of spell only takes a few days to completely drain y-WHOA!" She cried out, reeling backwards as she looked up at the troll for the first time during the whole conversation. Puck also looked rather shocked as he looked down at her.

"What? What is it?" Willow begged for them to tell her. Tallulah reached out to tenderly take a hold of her hair, running a finger through her bangs.

"Your hair…..it's turning…. _black_." She said. Willow eyed a window nearby, its glassy surface allowing her a glimpse at her reflection. Sure enough, the base of her hair and half of her bangs were a deep grayish-black. It faded only slightly as it went up, with only the very peak of her hair and the smaller side of her bangs still her true color of ultraviolet blue.

"We have _got_ to get you home." Tallulah repeated for the hundredth time that day. It was with that that the sprite started to look around desperately for a quicker way to the outer edge of the city. To her delight, she spotted a farmer with a wagon full of straw, prepping for travel.

"Come on." She said, pulling Willow to her feet as the girl began to regain some of her energy. The three ran over to the wagon.

"Farmers go beyond the outskirts of the city to tend to their fields, and I think this one is about to go lay some straw down." Tallulah whispered to them as they climbed up into the wagon, burying themselves into the itchy golden pile. Thankfully, they found a pocket of sorts within the pile, and waited patiently for the farmer to begin his trek outwards. However, the whoosh of fabric came over them and darkened their field of vision. Tallulah frantically popped her head out to observe the situation, and found that he had covered the wagon with a canvas, and she beckoned for Willow and Puck to emerge from the straw and sit with her in the corner. They were now safely and comfortably hidden.

"Now just keep an eyed peeled for my brother's house. It's quite unique, thank heavens. It'll be the only red hut on the edge of the city." Tallulah instructed them both, and it was with that that they heard the crack of a whip and jolted forward, throwing them off balance but quickly regaining it and settling in.

Willow looked out the back of the wagon and watched as the doorway to the prison disappeared from sight around the corner of the building next to them.

Subsequently, Briar and his friends were just having the door come into their sights as they quietly slipped through the streets. Entering the prison with no trouble at all, they scaled their way back. Upon sight of it, Briar frowned. The cell was completely devoid of anything, much less a captive princess.

"Huh? She was in this cell. This cell, right here! I swear!" Briar exclaimed in frustration as they all stood outside the door.

"Well, obviously, she ain't now! Are you sure Deveraux hasn't just taken her up to the palace and is keeping her there?" Tez whispered in an irritated fashion. The young man shook his head.

"No, no. He said they would be holding her here until the day they needed her." Briar told them.

"Needed her? For _what_?" Tez asked. He tensed up at that.

"….I can't say. Just know that if we don't find her soon, bad things are going to happen to everyone." He explained in a mysterious tone, and Colt sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Well, I'm sorry bro, but this looks like a dead end. There is absolutely no telling where she could have gone."

"Yo, Briar! Check this out!" Shale called out to the three of them, and they made their way over to him and looked to where he was pointing.

"The two cells closest to her are empty too." Colt turned to Briar again.

"Who was in those cells? Maybe they helped her escape." He suggested. Briar thought for a moment, then wagged his finger in the air.

"I don't know. Doesn't the front desk have a book of records?" He asked.

"Yes, but there's no guarantee that it's there. Deveraux takes it out of there all of the time." Tez informed them. However, Briar did not give himself any time to hear his friend's explanation as he sprinted towards the front again. Eyeing the desk, he ripped open every drawer he could get his hands on, and finally came across a maroon leather-bound book that definitely had its wear and tear on it.

"Wow. Lucky break." Shale commented as Briar leafed his way through the pages. They were organized by cell number, and naturally the last three are the ones he needed. Finally coming to ending column, he read the names aloud that appeared underneath them.

"Puck. Prisoner 8249. Sprite. Tallulah. Prisoner 8356. Sprite." He stated, furrowing his brow in shock. He had only ever heard of the two in idle chatter amongst the locals. Tallulah had made quite a name for herself before her downfall a few years back.

" _The_ Tallulah? The daughter of Falco?" Shale repeated, completely surprised.

"Yes." Briar confirmed. They were completely amazed.

"Why on earth would _she_ be helping this Rowan dame?" Colt asked in confusion. Though sprites were known for their kind-hearted nature, it was under the pureblood's impression that any enemies of theirs would also be treated accordingly by their small winged companions. Briar shook his head, turning his gaze to the window in a weak attempt to visualize where the three could have made off to.

"You haven't met her. You'd understand." He mumbled affectionately, instantly regretting what he had said the moment it escaped his lips. Shale chuckled.

"Ooooohhhhh, you would know wouldn't you, lover boy?" He cooed, jabbing an elbow into his side before being shoved away.

"Shut up! Where would Tallulah go for help in getting her back home? I guarantee you that that's what they're doing." He asked. The group racked their brains for a moment, then Tez spoke up.

"Well, I know that Tallulah has a brother who lives on the edge of town. He lives in Falco's old shack. Maybe they went there to get a spell to whisk her back home." He suggested. Briar nodded.

"Great. Let's go." He said, turning to begin walking when Colt grabbed him by the arm.

"Hold up there, Jethro. That's across the city, and even by carriage it'd take a few hours. There's no way we're going to catch them in time." He pointed out. Briar yanked his arm away.

"We have to try." He said, beginning to look around for a mode of transportation. Then, he remembered for the first time in weeks that he still had a few crystals of teleportation left amongst his collection in his satchel, and began reaching into it. Elated, he produced a small purple stone that glowed like radioactive material, and Colt's eyes widened in recognition. How he had missed the obvious was beyond him. But that is not what he decided to address as he looked his closest friend in the eye and shook his head lightly.

"Wow, you've got it bad." He stated bemusedly. Briar said nothing in response, raising his arm high above his head and bringing the crystal down onto the cobblestone beneath their feet. In a flurry of purple smoke, he was gone. The three others followed suit, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

When they could once again see the surrounding area, they found themselves on the edge of town just as they had intended. They face a rather peculiar shack, fire engine red in color. Smoke billowed from the singular chimney, and a wooden sign with FALCO SPELLS AND CRYSTALS carved in bold lettering.

"Now all we have to do is wait for them to come by." Colt whispered as the four of them threw themselves behind a group of bushes.

"Yeah…." Briar conferred.

"Hey, you okay, bud?" Tez asked, noticing the discomfort in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just…have a lot of things on my mind." He replied.

In all truth, he was in a complete frenzy within his own mind. It would be the first time seeing Willow in a few days, though to his way of thinking it had been like an eternity. Knowing that their status as acquaintances was less than admirable made it even more painful for him to think of her. He just wanted to set things right. He didn't care if she hated him in the end. There was so much more to his motivation behind his actions besides his enamored feelings towards the Princess.

Though he had to admit, it played a big part.

The sudden scream of sirens jolted them all in surprise, beams of light scattering every which way in the distance. Briar's heart sank.

Now everyone in homeland knew Willow had escaped.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **First of all, I must apologize to all of you. This is perhaps the longest break between chapters that I have ever had, and I'm sorry. I had a pretty rough weekend and I was having a bit of writer's block upon writing this chapter. Thankfully it seems I've gotten over it, though I must put my usual disclaimer for any typos in this chapter. If it also seems a bit off, I apologize. I will try to make it up within the coming chapters.**

 **I thank you all for your continual patience with me. I am hellbent on finishing this story for you all, and I know how frustrating it is to come across a story that's good and then realizing the author hasn't updated in months. I try not to be that person. I like to finish what I started, however long it may take.**

 **So, thank you again for waiting and I hope this was worth the wait. The next couple of chapters are going to be a little more interesting if my calculations are correct on where I want the story to go.**

 **Many thanks,**

 **Heartforhumanity845**


	6. Chapter 6

"What in the world was _that_?"

Willow, Tallulah, and Puck had dismounted the wagon a little ways back when the farmer had stopped to rest. Tallulah configured that they were not very far from her brother's shop, claiming the scraggily tree-line was beginning to look familiar. So, without much protest, they had jumped from their ride and began the rest of their journey on foot. The sirens had blared not long after that, and the two sprites exchanged a frantic look.

"That's the prison break sirens. They know we've escaped." Puck declared.

"It's okay, it's okay! We're almost there! My brother is just beyond that hill!" Tallulah assured them by pointing ahead about three hundred feet. They made their way over in no time at all, and it was when they finally approached the house when something felt completely off. The door was shut and locked, with no lights on inside. Something Tallulah knew was completely rare of her brother to do. Puck and Willow stood patiently off in the distance as the female sprite searched every nook and cranny of the outside of the place. She finally threw her hands out in defeat, giving an exasperated sigh.

"It doesn't make sense. He should _be_ here." Tallulah cried in distress. A sudden rustle from their right made them all turn their attention to the source. Out from behind a group of bushes walked four trolls, all dressed in cloaks and weapons of various sizes and types. The last to come into view was someone very familiar to Willow. She narrowed her eyes in disbelief.

"…..Briar?" She mumbled. The male troll shoved himself to his feet, brushing his cloak off and giving a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Uh….hey, Willow. Um…..we're here to-!" He began to explain, but Shale jumped in front of him excitedly.

"We're here to rescue you!" He informed her. Willow's eyes widened in surprise as she looked between the three trolls that accompanied Briar, her eyes landing on the tallest of them all. He was looking at her in a way that made her want to blush profusely. He strutted forward, a devilish look in his eye.

"Say, you got a sister?" Colt asked her, arching his brow in interest and leaning against the fence. Briar felt a flare of jealousy and was about to tell him to leave her alone, but Willow shoved herself away and frowned.

"Um, it's very nice of you all to come here but…..I've already _got_ a rescue team." She said, gesturing to the two sprites who had, up until this point, been silently analyzing the group of trolls.

"Yeah. She's with _us_ , ya lousy purebloods! Scram!" Tallulah defended, waving a dismissive hand in their direction.

"Hey, we're only trying to help, lady!" Tez argued, furrowing his brows in anger. However, Briar shoved himself between the two groups and looked to the Princess.

"Willow, your parents. They're waiting for you at the edge of the city." He informed her. She gasped softly, covering her mouth for a moment as she tried to register what had just passed his lips.

"My parents?" She whispered before looking him dead in the eye. Briar watched as her surprise slowly turned to skepticism. Once again narrowing her eyes and giving a frown, she spoke. "You're lying."

"No, I'm not. I brought them here so you could all go home together." Briar argued, feeling that pang of hurt in his chest at her disbelief in his words. She put a hand on her hips, giving a roll of her eyes before speaking again.

"Oh, right. And what's in it for you, huh? Another trinket?" She jabbed bitterly. He took a few steps towards her, his eyes cast gently on her small form. She truly was almost completely half his size. The very top of her head (excluding the peak of blackish-blue hair) came to just past his shoulder.

"Please, Willow. You _have_ to believe me." He said, trying to keep his composure so he did not appear weak to her in his pleading.

"Ha! As if I'll ever make _that_ mistake again!" She snapped, her pink eyes continuing to seethe into his brown ones as he blinked back tears.

Okay, _that_ one stung. Far worse than any other fate he could have imagined for them. He could only stare at her in disbelief. He didn't know what to do or what to say. It seemed that in all ways possible, he had completely crushed her trust. Perhaps for all time.

"Miss Princess, if I may." Colt took a step forward, making both Willow and Briar look to him in surprise. The very tall troll sighed. "I know you have no desire to really trust any of us, and that's totally understandable. But…do you really think Briar would get us all together if he was lying? I mean, sure. He _did_ lie to you, took you hundreds of miles away from home and is basically the cause of everything recent to happen to you."

"Colt." Briar pleaded through the side of his mouth, giving him a glare. He held up a hand to signal he wasn't finished, then continued.

"But Briar…..he's like family to us. He's gotten us through a lot of stuff, and we know that once he sets his heart on something, he puts everything he's got into it." The troll looked to Briar, who was looking on his friend with slight surprise at his alarmingly wise words. Willow too, it seemed, had softened slightly in her demeanor at his words. Colt locked eyes with her again, his green eyes quite determined. "And right now, he has his heart set on getting you home. So, you can trust that that's what we're going to do."

The troll Princess glanced between them all, taking a few extra glances at Briar with her arms tightly crossed across her chest. She sighed, allowing her shoulders to slump a little.

"We'll see." Her skeptic answer was not the worst one they were expecting, so it was with that that the entire group, including Tallulah and Puck, started to follow the Huntsmen back the way of which they came. It seemed as if an entire world stretched out beneath their feet as row upon row of shacks and run-down buildings lined the countryside before them.

Briar had taken a silent care to press himself close to Willow's side without seeming too overbearing, his hand hovering away from his body in case he had to snatch for his sword. The crash of something behind them made them all snap to look. The same trolls dressed in earthen colored uniforms were making a straight beeline towards them, their spears primed and ready. Willow gasped.

"The Royal Guard! RUN!" Tez screamed, and the group took off running at breakneck speed.

"This way!" Briar called, directing them towards a canal that stretched far beyond possible jumping distance. A large, scraggily tree sat on the other side, its creaking branches spreading and stretching over the canal before stopping in the dead center. Hanging from the farthest branch hung a thick rope, frayed at the end but long enough to use for swinging. Unfortunately, it too was out of arm's reach, and they were running out of time.

"We'll never get across!" Shale cried. Willow looked to the rope for a moment, squinting her eyes in though before extending out an arm to stop them from moving any closer.

"Hold on." She yelled to the group, and they watched as she whipped her hair about for a moment, causing it to extend far beyond what was physically possible and loop around the rope with ease. She pulled it to her effortlessly, releasing her grip on the coarse material before giving them a triumphant smile. However, it faltered immediately at the sight of everyone's baffled expressions. Save for Briar, who smiled at her slightly.

"What?" She asked, giving a shrug.

"I thought the hair thing was a myth." Tallulah muttered, pointing to her own hair for emphasis.

"Nope. Very much real. Now come on! Are we all just gonna stand here and wait for those clowns to catch up to us?" She encouraged before turning to the Huntsmen. "No offense."

"None taken. The Royal Guard is a bunch of tightwads." Colt immediately assured her, taking hold of the rope and swinging across. He threw it back over, and this process went on repeat until everyone was across and once again barreling through the streets.

"Ugh, we'll _never_ make it to the edge of the city without being caught now!" Briar complained as he saw more Royal Guardsmen join the already existing group that was right on them.

"There has to be _some_ place we can hide!" Willow cried with impatience ringing from her tone. Everyone began racking their brains, but a small gasp amidst their group made them turn to the source.

"There is!" Shale yelled excitedly.

"Well, ya better direct us there fast, because those guardsmen look pretty ticked!" Tallulah encouraged the young troll, giving the pack a backwards worried look at how malicious of a force they looked to be. They moved with quiet precision, and feet were in time as they ran in a tight formation.

"Alright, ya'll! Follow me!" Shale instructed, taking a sharp left and causing the rest of them to scramble to a stop and sprint to catch up.

Over and under many obstacles they went, trying to keep sights locked on the white hair of their guide. Before too long, they found themselves amidst an array of piping, like ones you would find in an abandoned shipyard. Steam poured from manholes like white clouds in heavy bursts, releasing into the air and disappearing within moments. It was here that Shale slowed considerably, which raised high alarm in everyone else.

"Uh, Shale? Might I remind you that the Royal Guard is right on our tail?" Tez pointed out.

"Awh, quit your worrying! They'll _never_ follow us into here. The spacing is too narrow." Shale informed them. As they continued to move in odd angles and directions to avoid running into the dripping, rusting coils of metal all around them, they found it to be true. Unless one was dressed and built as they were, there was no getting through in a timely or useful manner.

"Sooooo where exactly _are_ we?" Willow asked, her eyes permanently turned upwards as she observed every spot she could.

"Nowhere of consequence." Shale answered, lifting on a particular manhole that opened up into an underground walkway of sorts, a ladder lining the side wall for their convenience.

"A bunker!" Willow cried excitedly, recognizing the layout immediately.

"Yes. Only the finest one in all of homeland! My entire family spent years building it. Convinced that there was going to be an eventual war between the sprites and purebloods." Shale gave them a small history lesson before looking to them all expectantly.

"Well, in ya go!" He ordered in a cheerful manner.

"Wait a minute, how deep does this thing go?" Tallulah asked, staring down into it skeptically. However, her answer did not come as the entire group slowly made their way down. Once hitting the bottom, they came across an illustrious storage room that was painted and decorated almost like a standard living room, with shelf after shelf of food and necessities lining the far wall.

"Wow. Pretty nice for a bunker." Puck commented as he looked around in surprise.

"You got that right! There's everything we could possibly need!" Shale conferred.

"Except a way to the outskirts of the city." Willow replied with reluctance. A slightly awkward air fell over the group as Shale frowned.

"Yeah….." He drew out the word for a long moment before Tez let out a loud groan, giving his back a nice stretch.

"Well, I dunno about any of you, but _I'm_ gonna catch some shuteye." He said, slipping his cloak off and setting himself down on a crate nearby. Willow's eyes widened in alarm, and she looked around for a moment.

"Hold on, we're going to _stay_ here for the night?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah. Duh. What, do you think we're really going to try and make it out of town with those Royal Guardsmen on us? They may be tightwads, but they're ruthless at their job. Trust me, Princess, we're better off where we're at until we can break away in the wee hours of the morning. It'll be the least likely time for guardsmen to be out." Colt replied in a matter-of-fact manner, and she sighed.

"But my parents…."

"Are waiting for you patiently and will be there in the morning." Briar finished her sentence for her, and she suddenly became aware of how close he was, even in the reasonably spacious room. "I gave them my crystal ball, just in case they wanted to check on us."

"But this spell….I don't know how long I have…." She argued in despair.

"You got it when you made your deal with Deveraux, right?" Briar asked. She nodded, and he returned the gesture as confirmation. "That particular life-draining spell takes a week to complete, so you still have at least two days to get back home. It'll be a piece of cake, but we can't dilly dally getting you to the edge of the city tomorrow. Once we do, you're home free. You can leave all of this behind." He explained, trying for once to sound optimistic. Willow watched him talk silently, her eyebrow arched slightly in thought at his words. When he did not receive a response from her, he gave a defeated sigh, turning away and taking up a spot on the opposite side of the room.

Sleepiness had begun to take its toll on the Princess as well, and she laid down on a rug nearby only to watch her vision completely fade out in a matter of minutes.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was a few hours later before Willow stirred from her nap. To her surprise, she found that all the Huntsmen were awake and settled in different areas throughout the room. Each one had different sets of tools and cleaning products set out as they tinkered and polished away at their respective equipment.

"I see that Sleeping Beauty has awakened." The Princess jumped at the sound of Colt's voice, the tallest troll giving her an amused smirk. She relaxed.

"Uhm….yeah. What…what's all this?" She asked, gesturing to the array of items spread around him.

"It's part of our daily upkeep. We have to sharpen and clean our weapons on a daily basis. You never know when Deveraux's going to make a surprise inspection." He explained. She took a look around again, then pursed her lips for a moment before speaking again.

"I see you guys all have different ones….how do you determine who gets what?"

"You choose it, just like you do with everything else as part of being a Huntsman. We all chose our weapons the day we signed up." Colt explained to her before his face fell. "That is….most of us got to."

"What do you mean?" Willow asked, completely confused. Colt glanced off to his right, and Willow did as well to realize he was looking at the very troll who had gotten her into her predicament.

"Briar…..he was ordered to become a Huntsman." Colt informed her, and she furrowed her brow for a moment.

"…. _ordered_?" Willow parroted on a whisper, and Colt slowly nodded. The Princess could see Briar out of the corner of her eye continuing to sharpen his sword.

"Nobody knows why. He refuses to talk about it. Whenever we bring it up, he always changes the subject or moves on to something different to avoid any more questions. He was the only one in our entire class that was forced to be there." Colt looked over to him for a moment with Willow following his gaze. "Ah, but that doesn't mean he didn't earn his keep. He was stubborn, rude at times. It took forever for us to get him to talk to us about anything." Colt locked eyes with her for a moment. "But he was strong, determined. He defeated the reigning champion of the Huntsmen tournament with that sword in his hand. I've never seen a more driven soul."

Willow tore her gaze away from him to watch Briar again for a moment. His shoulder-blade muscles rippled underneath his tunic as he worked his way down the length of the blade, the left side of his face alit from the lantern setting on that side. He had rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows, putting emphasis on some pleasantly defined biceps and forearms for a troll. She blinked rapidly to get the accumulating thoughts out of her head.

"Well, Princess, it's been nice talking to you, but I should probably hit the sack. We're gonna need all the energy we can get tomorrow." With that, Colt turned from her, but she barely took notice as she continued to keep a steady gaze on the young troll just mere feet away from her. She got to her feet, making her way over silently. Upon coming into Briar's field of vision, she saw him shift his gaze slightly to look at her feet, but otherwise did not lift them any further to meet her face.

"You've been working on that sword for a while now…..is it even close to being done?" She asked, trying to sound humble and curious rather than condescending. It seemed to work as he replied to her calmly after setting down one tool and picking up another.

"Mostly. A true swordsman never finishes sharpening his sword. Keeps him in check. Gives him something to take care of when he's not on a mission." Briar spoke like a true textbook, and Willow sat down across from him cautiously. He did not look up at her, a rather stained rag in his fist as he began to polish the metal. Something burned deep within her core, something that always seemed to grow whenever she looked at him. With an urging mind, she finally decided to address something that had been on in her thoughts since she arrived at homeland.

"So, everything you told me back in that field….you said it wasn't all a lie. Which parts were non-fiction?" She asked. Willow observed the pain flash across his eyes before he spoke, slow and soft.

"I really was eight years old when I started training to be a Huntsman. I was dragged around the countryside with every other kid learning things that no child should learn at that age." He explained. She could tell she had hit a soft spot, and chose to shift the subject to avoid him shutting her out.

"So, how old are you now?" Willow asked, genuinely curious as she realized she had never truly found out. It was then that Briar's eyes flicked to hers for a moment, and he chuckled. A sound she was not expecting to hear but welcome nonetheless.

"How old do you _think_ I am?" He asked as he placed his sword down for a moment to offer up all of his attention to her. A silent gesture that did not go unnoticed by the Princess.

 _Ugh, don't play that game with me._ Willow thought but did not say.

"I have no clue. But judging by the fact that you were eight when you started training, and you mentioned before that you've been a Huntsman for at least ten years, that would make you-!" She faded off as Briar genuinely laughed at her. It was startling to Willow how lovely it sounded. Yet another discovery she had made about him that was pleasant. But with feverish determination, she once again shooed the impending emotions away.

"Alright, math genius, I'll save you the trouble." He said, giving a small pause before looking down to pick up the rag and wipe the oil from his hands. "I'm twenty-three." Willow's face fell.

"Oh." She mumbled, lowering her gaze to the floor. That earned her another chuckle from him.

"You sound disappointed." He pointed out accusingly but with an air of playfulness. She felt a small heat rise to her cheekbones in embarrassment.

"Not disappointed…just….surprised. You're older than I thought you were." She blurted out before she could stop it, and he looked up in confusion.

"Why's that such a surprise? You're what, twenty-one?" He asked, giving her a nonchalant once-over. Willow blushed a little heavier, her eyes darting to the floor once more as she clasped her hands together tightly.

"I'm nineteen." She informed him. She watched his own face fall in surprise slightly, but quickly recover to his previous expression of curiosity.

"Wow, really? So, you haven't even hit the big two-o yet?" He prodded.

"Nope." Willow conferred before he looked away for a moment.

"Wow." He whispered. Willow giggled, making him look up at her again with a hint of wonder in his eyes.

" _Now_ who sounds disappointed?" She jabbed.

"I'm not, I just assumed you were older because you act like it….not that that's a bad thing, I just wish I had half the brains that you do." He rambled, making the goofy prospect of her current mood fall away to genuine interest in his words. Sensing her watchful gaze, he cleared his throat loudly and kept his eyes darting every which way to avoid her pink orbs.

"So, uh, when's your birthday?" He

"I just had it not too long ago….October 7th." She answered, bringing her knees up to her chest to hug them close.

"Hm. Good day. Mine's April 18th." He said with a bit of pep in his tone, as if he was excited to tell her when he had come into the world. However, she only nodded sweetly.

"Hm."

There was a long pause between the two of them, and Willow suddenly felt the weight of their situation begin to bear down on her once more. She felt herself begin to droop in body and spirit, and she rested her cheek on her left knee and looked away from Briar.

"If things keep going the way they are, I have a feeling that that was the last birthday I'll ever celebrate." She mumbled, hoping her tone was low enough for him not to hear. Unfortunately, she was not the only one gifted with sharp hearing.

"Stop that right now." Briar's posture had straightened and his eyebrows were furrowed in a sudden flare of anger at her words. This startled Willow, her eyes locking with his.

"Stop what?" She whimpered.

"Talking like that. We're getting you home tomorrow, okay? If it's the last thing we ever do." He declared firmly. She could only watch him for a moment, seeing something else flicker behind his agitated look. Before she could stop herself, she was inching closer to him with her eyes searching his face. This sent Briar into a frenzy and his anger fell away. He could only focus on the slight change in warmth as she neared him. Finally, she took the liberty to speak.

"Why did you come back?" She whispered, her voice tender and confused with a tone light as air. Briar just stared at her, his words lodging like an immovable lump in his throat. "You had everything you wanted. It was over and done with for you. Why come back?" His head cleared for a moment and he stared into her soul, reaching deep within himself for the words he had wanted to say for a while now.

"Because nobody deserves this." He whispered. His declaration was mysterious and quite dark in nature, and Willow wanted so desperately to understand why he was so closed off. He became more and more of a puzzle the more she knew him, and it intrigued her. She wanted to dig further, to understand his psychology. What had _happened_ to him?

"Briar…" She mumbled, reaching out to touch his face. His eyes flew open and his heart was racking against his chest to anticipate her next move, but all of it fell away in a sudden cry from her throat. She retracted her hand in a flash, tilting her chin downwards into her chest in pain. She let her arm give out beneath her, and in a flash Briar was holding her in his arms.

"What happened?" Tallulah asked, awake and running over to them.

"The spell. It's growing." Briar informed her as they all watched Willow's teal skin begin to fade in vibrancy. A few strands of her remaining blue bangs began to fade into black as well, making Willow shudder in distress.

"Hold on, girly. Just hold still." Tallulah begged, taking out the vial again. Unfortunately, the contents were beginning to dwindle drastically.

"A topical antidote? Is that all you could get?" Briar asked frantically, looking down on Willow in worry as she rested her head in his lap. His hands were resting on her shoulders gently, and her eyelids drooped considerably as they fought to look up at him.

"Not much you can do from a prison cell, pretty boy." Tallulah snapped. The nickname threw him off, but he said nothing in return as she quickly applied some more to the Princess' skin, the other Huntsmen and Puck looking on in worry. To everyone's delight, Willow came to again. However, her color did not improve and she was still fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Come on, Princess. We aren't wasting anymore time down here." She declared, grabbing the Princess' hand and beginning to pull her to her feet.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you crazy? It's only half past ten!" Shale cried.

"Willow needs to get home. And she's not doing that so long as she's standing around here!" The sprite hollered impatiently.

"The Royal Guards are still crawling around out there! If you go out there, you put _everyone's_ lives on the line!" Briar scolded.

"Better than waiting for them to assemble enough forces to take us down without so much as a blink of an eye!" Tallulah argued, her hand still wrapped around Willow's wrist.

"Come on, guys. Let's be reasonable about this." Colt pleaded for a moment.

"Are you trying to help or not?" Willow asked, growing impatient as well. They all looked between one another, completely at a loss on what to do.

"We're either in this together or we're not. I'm going to see my parents. End of discussion." Willow continued before hoisting herself up onto the ladder that led up to the trap door. Tallulah gave all of them one last hard look before following her with Puck not too far behind. Briar looked to his fellow Huntsmen before giving a long sigh.

"I have a bad feeling about this." He said, grabbing a hold of the closest rung and climbing up after them.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They all were huddled around the crystal, watching intently as the scenes of the last few hours played across them.

"Oh my god, what's happening to her?" Poppy fussed as Branch and her laid eyes on their daughter for the first time in a while. She was making her way through the streets with Briar, a group of purebloods, and two very tiny beings with wings, something they had never seen before.

"I'm no expert, but it looks as if someone's put a spell on her." Sage replied.

"But why? For what purpose?" Canella asked, almost as frantic as Branch and Poppy.

"I don't know." Sage insisted.

"Oh, we should have never stayed here. We need to go! She needs us!"

"No! No, Your Majesty, we have to stay here like my brother asked. We'd just be getting in the way." Aloe pleaded.

" _Because nobody deserves this."_

"What does he mean?" Poppy asked Aloe, who was watching her brother speak with a deep frown on her face.

"There's….a lot about this world that you don't know about, Your Highness. Secrets….deadly secrets….things that would make the toughest troll cower in fear..." Aloe said in a foreboding manner. It quite unnerved the group of trolls as they watched the two purebloods exchange a look. However, Branch was keeping a steady eye on the crystal, where he watched Willow and Briar interact very closely.

"Wow, she really is pretty." Aloe commented softly as she too returned her attention to the scene unfolding before them. Branch and Poppy both looked up at her at this, their expressions flattered but curious as to why she put it in such a way. She chuckled nervously, realizing she was once again putting her foot in her mouth on her brother's behalf. Before she could utter a coverup statement, a commotion made them all look again and they watched as Willow's color continued to fade as the small winged woman applied something to her face.

"Oh no." Aloe mumbled.

"What? What is it?" Verne asked. She frowned.

"Like Sage said, we're no experts. But the topical use of an antidote is used on only one type of spell…." Aloe explained before Sage added on quietly. "….life-draining."

" _We're either in this together or we're not. I'm going to see my parents. End of discussion."_

The two monarchs watched their daughter firmly make her declaration and begin climbing to the surface.

"Come on. We'll meet her halfway." Poppy declared before taking off from their hiding spot.

"Wait, Your Majesty!" Aloe cried after her. Branch, Verne, and Canella all followed her out into the open.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As she emerged from the trap door, Willow put both hands on either side of the opening to push herself up the rest of the way. Once standing again, she turned around to start helping Tallulah pull herself up.

"Come on, guys. I think the coast is clear." Willow said confidently without looking up.

"I'm afraid you're very wrong, my dear."

She gasped, looking up into the beady eyes of Deveraux and Igor, surrounded by at least thirty Royal Guardsmen. The moonlight was bright and cast ominous shadows all around them, and every had frozen in place as dread began filling the air.

 _No._ Willow thought, feeling her heart shatter all over again as her conjured hope of seeing her parents again were once again cast into the dirt.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **So yet another cliffhanger! I do so hate and love myself for doing this to ya'll, but I just can't resist! Thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Much love to all of you! See you in the next chapter!**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Heartforhumanity845**


	7. Chapter 7

"Back off, Dev! She's dying and she needs to go home!"

Tallulah had wedged herself between the royal advisor and his guardsmen, putting out a protective arm to keep Willow behind her. The pureblood clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"Tallulah. I'm surprised at you. You were just beginning to get to the end of your sentence." He said. "It would be a shame if I added a few more years onto it. Or have you been away from home for so long that you've stopped caring for your boys?"

"This is wrong and you know it. She's a _child_." The sprite was not having any of it. Willow gave her a slightly hard glare at the word 'child', but chose not to escalate the situation from there. However, it seemed as though the sour pureblood advisor was being equally as stubborn.

"What we do with her is none of your concern. Now out of my way." He hissed, shoving her aside and taking a hold of Willow's wrist. The girl yelped in surprise, gripping at his hand with her free one, clawing to loosen his vice-like fingers on the joint.

"Deveraux, let her go."

Briar's voice was loud and firm, his sword extended in a battle-ready stance. All eyes turned to him, and the advisor gave the boy a half-interested glance from head to toe before a malicious grin spread across his face.

"Huntsman Briar. I had hoped that you would become an exceptional member of my team." The pureblood mocked bitterly at the young troll. However, the amusement soon fell and was replaced with a look of utter disdain. "How disappointing." He sauntered his way closer to them, keeping a particular eye on Briar and Willow as he folded his hands together neatly in front of him at waist-level.

"But since you're here, you might as well work." He lifted one arm to signal a nearby Guardsman, and he came forward with a horse that was vacant of a rider. His eyes pierced into their very souls as he looked to them once more. "Get on."

"No. I'm not taking part in this any longer." Briar answered quickly and firmly. A brief stare-down took place, and Deveraux turned his head slightly to call behind him.

"Guardsmen! Kill them all!" He barked. Not two seconds after it had been spoken when Briar threw himself forward, hands extended and waving about in a halting fashion.

"No, stop! I'll go with you, just leave everyone else alone!" He pleaded. The scraggily troll closed the distance between them almost entirely, his spindly fingers gripping at the collar of Briar's shirt and yanking him so close that the young troll could smell his rancid breath and pungent stench of his clothing. His breath was hot as he lips were curled back in a disgusted snarl.

"You listen to _me,_ boy. You are _my_ Huntsman and you will do as I say from here on out, or so help me, you and your pathetic siblings will not see another day. Do I make myself clear?" He said, his voice escalating in volume as he shook him about in his grasp for emphasis. Briar grunted in protest, squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth. Swallowing back his retort, his eyes reopened with what seemed to be an air of neutral clarity.

"Crystal." His knees met the ground violently, and he grunted to shake off the discomfort of having his superior so close to him.

"Take the sprites back to their cells." Deveraux ordered, and a few of the Guardsmen came forward to snatch Tallulah and Puck by the arms, much to the non-verbal protest of the female sprite. She gave a pleading look to Briar, but he only shook his head to halt any accumulating thoughts that the sprite could have. However, as the two passed one another, Briar felt her hand slip into his pocket and the very light weight of an object settled into it. He glanced to her once more and she raised her eyebrows in response, looking away before the Guardsmen escorting her could catch on. Briar patted the surface of the pocket, and he immediately recognized it.

Silently, he mounted the horse with Colt not far behind him. The tall troll hoisted Willow up onto the seat behind Briar, flashing a tight smile at them both before rejoining the other Huntsmen a few feet away. Quickly and in a secretive fashion, Briar signed a few symbols to them and Shale gave a thumbs up. Briar nodded then jumped at the abrupt sound of Deveraux's voice.

"MOVE OUT!" He ordered, and the young male troll followed behind the many Guardsmen as they started their journey towards a destination he was unsure of.

However, his focus did not remain there long as he felt Willow wrap both arms around his torso to steady herself as they started forward. His skin tingled powerfully at her gentle touch, and he could smell the faint scent of daisies coming from her hair.

"Briar…where are they…..?" She muttered. Her weary tone made him anxious all over again, and he knew the spell was only growing as every second ticked by.

"Shhhh. Just hold on. I'm still getting you out of here." Cautiously, he placed a hand over top her arms around his waist. He stole a look back at her, and their eyes met for a brief moment. He could feel his heart begin to twist in pain again at the look of pure hopelessness in her eyes. He squeezed her left hand softly. "I promise."

She said nothing, but the look in her eyes was enough to convince him that she believed him. For now. She rested her head square on his back and closed her eyes, sending another jolt of lightning through his entire body. He wished desperately that this kind of contact could have happened in literally any other situation but this one.

Time was running out quickly.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Your Majesties, _wait!_ " Aloe called to the two monarchs as they began to run across the field towards town. Poppy slowed for a moment, turning to face her.

"Aloe, I know you're only trying to protect us, but we can't sit around anymore. Willow needs our help." She cried, starting off again. Aloe clenched her fists for a moment, coming to a dead halt.

"If you go in there, they'll kill you." She screamed, her voice shaky but loud. Poppy and Branch stopped, looking to her again but with much more reverence at what she was saying.

"Who?" Branch muttered. Aloe panted to catch her breath, her face twisted in distress.

"Deveraux and his men. Trust me, I know. They won't hesitate, and I couldn't possibly bear to see…." She cut herself off, holding a fist against her lips to keep from rambling on about what she had wanted to say. Branch and Poppy both stared at her with compassion. She shook her head. "You just….. _can't._ "

"You don't understand!"

Poppy's sudden outburst made all of them jump and snap their eyes in her direction, and the usually bright and happy pink troll had her hands clenched tightly and tears were brimming the corners of her eyes.

"You don't understand." She said once more, this time in a shaky whisper. Looking away to the horizon, the Queen inhaled sharply to try and combat the emotions overtaking her. Squeezing her eyes shut, she spoke once more in a hush. "She's all we _have._ "

A few seconds passed and Branch had moved himself closer to his wife, reaching out a hand to place gently atop her shoulder.

"Poppy…." He muttered, pressing against her. She sighed, placing a hand atop his.

"I'm sorry, Branch." She whispered almost too softly for anyone but him to hear. Aloe and Sage inched themselves further back to where Verne and Canella were standing, knowing that the conversation was headed in a very personal direction.

"I'm sorry for wasting all of this time…you are such a good father to Willow….I wanted to give you that chance again."

For the first time since learning of his daughter's abduction, Branch's demeanor slackened significantly and he watched his wife with a rather melancholy expression. He knew what she spoke of. Conversations lost in time when their daughter was still a child. The desire and attempts to give Willow a sibling came flooding back to him in a pool of memories, and he shook his head vehemently.

"No. Poppy, stop this. Right now." He said, putting a hand on her chin and lifting her gaze to his in a passionate lock. "It's not your fault." He stroked her cheek as tears began to fall, and she gave a pained sigh. She was so angry at herself for the way things had turned out for them. She had wanted so much more for Branch, for herself…..she had always dreamed of having a huge family. And yet, all of it still seemed oddly worth it as she thought about her beautiful daughter. Their sweet, intelligent daughter who had never once given her anything but joy. Her crocodile tears continued to flow as she kept her eyes steady on her husband.

"I had to protect her." She whispered, as if once again apologizing for the choice she had made. Branch shook his head, pulling her into a tight hug and allowing her to bury her face into the crook of his neck.

"Stop blaming yourself. We can only move forward."

Poppy's heart clenched at his reassurance. Several years ago, before the notion of being anything other than friends had even spawned within their realm of possibilities, she would have never heard him say anything of the sort. In fact, due to his own past and his own guilt, Poppy would have much sooner heard him laugh at the thought of being so completely corny than go along with it.

The two sat like this for a long moment, completely lost in their own despair and comfort.

"Your Majesties?"

Aloe's voice made both trolls pull away to look at her, their arms still wrapped around one another. The pureblood clasped her hands respectively in front of her, giving them a sympathetic look.

"I know it's not much, but for what it's worth…..Willow is one lucky girl." She said.

Poppy sniffled and tried her best to offer a smile. However, before she could say what she wanted to, Branch had reached up to brush a tear away.

"Yes. She is." Branch replied for her, squeezing Poppy's hand tightly as they exchanged another loving look. He proceeded to stand up, bringing Poppy to her feet as well. However, the tender moment was short-lived as a cacophonous sound from around the bend sent them all jumping back into hiding.

"What's going on?" Canella whispered.

"Sh! I hear something!" Aloe hissed back, and they all fell silent and listened to the parade of footsteps nearing their location.

"I'm telling you, dude. This is the spot Briar said they would be." A voice called from a few feet away, and Aloe jumped from her spot in recognition of the voice.

"Colt?" She yelled, coming face to face with the three Huntsmen as they rounded the corner and almost ran straight into her.

"Aloe! Man, are we glad to see you! You've got to help us find this chick's parents! Briar and she have been taken by Deveraux and his posse! He's gonna do something crazy with them!" Tez exclaimed in a ramble of information.

"Consider us found." Another voice said, and the rest of the group emerged into view and sent the Huntsmen reeling back in surprise.

"Wow, talk about the apple not falling far from the tree!" Colt commented as he took in Poppy and Branch's appearances.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Branch snapped, crossing his arms defensively for a moment.

"We don't have time for this! Which way did they go?" Aloe asked frantically.

"That's the thing. We don't know. Briar just told us to come find you all." Shale explained.

"You mean Briar didn't tell you guys _anything_?" Aloe shrieked in frustration.

"I don't know. Deveraux's just really bent on getting this chick to do something for him. We don't know the deets." Tez said.

"That 'chick' has a name." Poppy snapped, starting to look as equally agitated as her husband at the newcomers.

"Sorry, ma'am." Tez apologized. It was obvious that the Huntsmen had no idea who they were talking to or about. Aloe fought to keep the peace between the two parties with minor help from Sage.

"Well, there has to be _someone_ we can ask." Aloe pointed out.

"What about the crystal?" Poppy reminded them.

"Who's crystal?" Shale piped up.

"Briar's crystal. He gave it to us so we could check in on them." Aloe explained briefly as Sage whipped it out from his bag and held it out for all of them to see. Slowly, a scene faded into view and there Briar was atop a horse, following closely behind a band of uniformed individuals and Deveraux. Willow was clinging to Briar's back, her eyes closed and looking even more gray than she had a few moments earlier. She looked awful.

"Oh, no." Poppy whispered in distress at the sight of her. Branch immediately pressed against her and held her close, his eyebrows knitted in worry as well.

"Where the heck _are_ they?" Verne chimed in in confusion.

"Looks to be the Badlands of the North." Colt hypothesized. "The King has a second castle nestled right in the heart of that place, and judging by the dead trees and the mulch-layered road, that's where they're headed."

"Alright, great. Let's go!" Poppy immediately declared, starting forward before being grabbed by the arm.

"Hold on there, ma'am. We can't just _walk_ into the Badlands." Colt informed her.

"And why not?" The Queen snapped impatiently, yanking her arm free.

"You kidding? That place is _crawling_ with sprites, curses, and spells. We'll never even make it past the barrier." Tez informed them with a dramatic wave of his hand.

"Great. More spells." Canella chided with a sarcastic roll of her eyes.

"Unless we can enlist the help of some sprites, there's no way we're getting anywhere near there." Shale explained. Colt brightened for a moment in realization.

"I know _exactly_ who can help us." He said.

"Who?" Verne asked in excitement.

"Awh, Colt, c'mon dude. _That_ old broad? You know, there's a reason she's in jail now." Tez reminded his comrade.

"It's our only shot." Colt said, looking to Branch and Poppy with renewed hope in his eyes. "She was with us when we were trying to get your daughter to you initially. She seemed pretty taken with her. They must have become friends in the prison." Colt explained to them so that they were no longer giving him confused stares.

"And her friend too! He wasn't much of a talker, but he seemed pretty concerned for her too." Shale added.

"But wouldn't that involve breaking into the prison to get them? You know, _treason_?" Sage reminded them, his eyebrows raised skeptically.

"Ah, ah, ah, my good man! You have three perfectly good Huntsmen at your disposal. We'll get in in no time." Colt said proudly, gesturing to all three of them with a smug smile.

"Well then what are we waiting for? Christmas? Let's go!" Aloe cried, and with that the combined rescue groups set off in search of the prison. They knew that every second counted.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Upon reaching the castle, Deveraux had dismounted his own horse and made his way over to Briar and Willow.

"You are to take her to the dungeon and lock her up. We have no use for her until this evening." Deveraux instructed. Briar nodded without argument, hooking both arms under Willow's legs as she slowly slipped both arms around his neck. In one fluid motion, he sent them both hurdling to the ground and landed perfectly on his feet. Willow was very light to carry, something he quickly pushed to the back of his mind before he could revel in it any further.

"Oh, and Huntsman Briar." The young troll turned to face his superior once more. A snake-like grin slithered across his lips as he watched them.

"Don't get any bright ideas. I'll have Guardsmen posted at every corner of the place." He declared. Briar could only nod in submission, once again beginning his walk to the dungeon without delay.

Willow's mind was a flurry of thoughts. She couldn't keep anything straight. It was all an emotional, befuddled mess and she had no idea what to expect of the next several hours. If Briar had been telling the truth, then her parents would not be far behind her. If she knew them at all, she would suspect that she would be rescued before Deveraux and King Cypress had a chance to carry out their dastardly plot.

 _Twenty._

Her mind froze as the number that had been subconsciously floating around began to flash across her mind in bright red.

 _Twenty._

Thinking back to the original story her Grandpa Peppy had told her, King Rowan had instructed that no descendant of his was to learn of the truth until they were twenty years of age.

 _Twenty._

In Cypress' tale, the story of this all-powerful spell had emphasized that only the twentieth descendant of Rowan could unlock its power when the time called for it.

What on earth was Rowan's obsession with the number twenty? Was there a hidden meaning behind it? How could she have missed this detail up until this point?

 _I_ _ **have**_ _to find out what it means._ She thought desperately, looking to Briar and contemplating asking him. However, with the way he was moving, she chose to save it until she could get him alone.

Once reaching the cell, Briar very gently set Willow down on the cot within, her body immediately slumping to accommodate the change. Her eyes were half open and her chest rose and fell very slowly. The male troll took a quick look around to make sure nobody was in sight, then produced the vial that Tallulah had slipped in his pocket.

"Briar…..why do you have…?" Willow slurred wearily, but he shushed her again.

"Save your energy. You're going to need it." He ordered, wasting not a moment in slathering some of the liquid on Willow's arms and neck. He slowed a little once reaching her face, ignoring the flare of his beating heart at the feel of her soft skin. Willow seemed taken aback as well at the sudden contact, her eyes now wide open and watching him stroke the antidote in. Briar averted his gaze from hers, clearing his throat for a moment and reluctantly pulling his hands away from her.

"There. Tallulah slipped me the vial before we left. It should get you through tonight." He said. However, he was completely surprised as he looked again to see her watching him quite closely, and he somehow knew that her mind was not on the current situation for once. She leaned in ever so slowly, and he could once again inhale her intoxicating scent.

"Why do you let him push you around like that?" She muttered. He stopped. He searched her eyes, and found that she was genuine in her interest. He blinked a few times, straightening his back once more and placing the vial back in his pocket.

"Willow, some things…..some things are better left unsaid." He declared. As he turned to leave the cell, her voice stopped him again.

"You don't have to be afraid, you know." Willow called out quietly. It was as if he was an open book to her. Slowly, he turned his body back in her direction and the determination in his eyes surprised her.

"Trust me. When the time comes….I won't be." He uttered, and abruptly opened and shut the cell door to lock it. Willow blinked a few times, contemplating his cryptic answer. She realized that she had not asked what she wanted to and gritted her teeth in frustration. Man, was he a challenge to read. She laid down and rested her head on the unbelievably flat pillow, giving a sigh.

She would be a liar if she said that she didn't enjoy it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **Alrighty everyone! There you be! So sorry for taking so long! Lots of dialogue in this chapter, I hope that wasn't too annoying! Between some personal conflicts and my renewed discovery of Tumblr and all its wonders, I've been hacking away at this chapter ever so slowly and I am finally finished! Thank you for your patience and I will see you all in the next installment!**

 **Warmest regards,**

 **Heartforhumanity845**


	8. Chapter 8

**Warning: There is a bit of blood and gore to this chapter, but other than that my only fair warning is that this chapter is LONG and jam-packed with information. I would definitely consider finding someplace comfortable before continuing on. With that being said, I hope you enjoy it! Happy reading!**

 _Sitting patiently on the stool in her bedroom, the young troll watched the door with her legs swinging back and forth. She was dressed in her costume for the school play, the script in her dainty grasp. It was the night before the opening show, and she had wanted to practice her lines just a few times more with her father before hitting the stage. It was to be the best school play put on in years, and she was the co-star._

 _Minutes turned to an hour as she waited, and finally, she jumped down and proceeded to walk through the pod in search of her father. Coming to his office, she found the room to be completely swamped with trolls of all kinds, rambling their concerns and needs to the exasperated Branch that sat on the other side of the desk in a frenzy._

" _Yes, I'll be sure to do that for you, Aritha."_

" _No, the party isn't set to take place until next week. Don't buy the flowers just yet."_

" _I'm afraid I can't do that for you until Saturday, Merriweather."_

 _On and on it went, until the last troll had been dutifully served and Branch released a heavy sigh, burying his face in his hands as he let his head fall forward. The little girl watched her father silently, waiting for him to notice her presence._

" _What are you doing up, Willow? It's nine o'clock." He had not looked up at her, yet his grumble of a question had startled the girl into walking further into the room._

" _You promised to go over my lines with me, Daddy." She squeaked. This made the King groan and lean back again, his weary eyes meeting the disappointed gleam of his daughter's._

" _I'm sorry, twig. I had a lot of memos to answer and your mother is in town for the pot luck tonight." He explained to her. For a moment, her shy demeanor fell and she knitted her eyebrows in frustration._

" _I don't see why you had to. They can take care of their_ _ **own**_ _problems!" She exclaimed bitterly, crossing her arms in a huff. Branch only chuckled at this, outstretching his arms for her. She climbed up into his lap and he cradled her close._

" _Now, Willow, that's no way to look at it. I'm the King. People look up to me when they need help. It's part of my job. And your mother's." He smoothed out a particular knot in her hair, reveling in its vibrant shade of ultraviolet blue. "And someday, it will be part of your job too."_

" _They trust us with everything they have, and we have to take care of them and their needs first. Even if it means putting ours on hold." He hooked a finger around her chin and tilted her pouty gaze up to look at him. "Does that make sense?"_

 _She paused to think about it for a moment, then gave a sheepish nod. Branch chuckled again, leaning in to give her a generous kiss on the forehead._

" _You're going to be a wonderful Queen someday, twig. I know it." He mumbled lovingly. Willow couldn't help but turn her face away bashfully at the comment, making her father laugh yet again._

" _Now. How about we go over those lines again?" He said, beginning to set her back down on the ground to remove himself from his chair._

" _But it's past my bedtime now!" She reminded him._

" _Well, just for tonight….we'll make it ten o'clock okay?" Branch wagered with an overzealous nod from his kin. He placed a hand on the tiny curve of her head and guided her along back through the pod, a permanent smile spread across his face._

Billowing smoke rose from the ground-levels chimneys surrounding the property, greenish and rather sickening to the nose. The small band had leap-frogged their way to the entrance, dodging every physical pair of eyes by diving behind trash bins and buildings of every kind. It was with one final lunge that they reached their destination, and they all huddled together closely behind a particularly tall stack of crates that sat in the alleyway opposite of the prison's entrance.

"Alright, this is the place. Just lay low, and let us do the talking." Colt whispered to the group as he took one last look around, then sprang from the spot. He straightened out his posture and sauntered forward confidently, suddenly under the watchful glare of the Guardsmen posted at the gate.

"Who goes there?" He bellowed. Quite the useless inquiry. Regardless, the young troll offered up a salute and locked eyes with him.

"Huntsman Colt, Huntsman Shale, and Hunstman Tez reporting for pickup." He informed. The guard arched a brow in skepticism.

"Pickup? I don't remember seeing anything on the schedule."

"That's because it is direct from King Cypress himself." Colt further explained in as professional a voice as he could muster. The troll's yellow eyes narrowed.

"Who is it for?" He still didn't sound convinced.

"Miss Tallulah and Puck. The King wishes to recruit them for some new spellcasting work." The lie was pretty flawless, and Shales mentally patted himself on the back for thinking it up on the fly. However, it seemed the troll was a hard one to persuade.

"Those two?" He exclaimed with a booming laugh. "Are you pulling my leg, boys? Because if you are, I'll—" He started to raise his hand to reach for the lance leaning against the brick wall, but Colt quickly shoved his hand in his pocket.

"If you please, sir. This is my memo in case you have any other doubts." He produced a note that looked as if it had seen battle, with tattered edges and scribbles almost unrecognizable etched across. The guard snatched the flimsy parchment from his grasp, skimming it over. With a slouch of his shoulders in defeat, he rolled his eyes and shoved the note back at Colt in the chest.

"Proceed." He grumbled, disappearing back into his little hovel. The three Hunstmen took a look back to shoot Aloe a thumbs up, who nodded and shooed them on their way.

"That was almost _too_ easy." Tez commented as soon as they were out of earshot from the grumpy troll Guardsmen.

"Shut up and come on. We don't have any time to waste." Colt snapped and the three picked up the pace to the very back of the underground building. Eyeing their cells, Colt immediately spotted the red and yellow sprite he had been looking for. She was leant against the wall opposite of them, her head hanging in a mopey fashion.

"Miss Tallulah?" She looked up, her small pointed ears perking immediately at the sight of the three familiar faces.

"Hey, what are you all doin' here? I thought Deveraux sent you home." She asked worriedly, glancing around as if they would be ambushed any second. While doing so, Colt had hurriedly unlocked the door and made his way over to her, grabbing at her ankle.

"Nevermind that. Hold still." He said, nearly throwing her off balance as he hovered the keys over the shackle and made it collapse to the floor in a heap. Shale had gone to do the same for Puck, and it wasn't long after this that they were all up and out of the prison.

"Alright, I've got 'em. Let's go." Colt called to Aloe as they rounded the corner and was out of the sights of the guard. Aloe and Sage brought Branch, Poppy, Verne, and Canella out from behind their hiding spot and joined the Huntsmen and sprites. There was a brief exchange of looks between the two parties as they set eyes on the two winged creatures for the first time and were slightly taken aback. Colt noticed the uneasy atmosphere, and turned to the female sprite.

"Oh, Tallulah, this is—" He began, but she cut him off as she took a step forward with a bittersweet smile on her face.

"King and Queen of Troll Village." She extended a hand out to them, at which they both shook in an orderly fashion. "Nice to finally make your acquaintance, Your Majesties. Your daughter is a wonderful young lady. Sorry we couldn't have met on better terms." Her tone was very reluctant, but Poppy quickly shook her head and waved the last comment away.

"Oh, no trouble at all." She assured her. The two shared another smile as Branch turned to Colt.

"Where are they taking her?" He demanded.

"They're taking her and Briar to the castle in the Badlands. I think they're holding her there until tonight." Tez explained before Colt had a chance to. At this new bit of info, Tallulah audibly scoffed and put her hands on her hips.

"The Badlands? Are you outta your minds? You all wouldn't last three seconds within fifty feet of the barrier." She chided.

"We were hoping that you'd help us in that department." Shale added, and the winged woman's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

" _Me_? Oh, fellas. You got the wrong sprite. I haven't been in practice for almost eight years. I-I don't even know if I-!" She had thrown her hands up in protest, shaking her head back and forth in a violent manner before being abruptly interrupted by Tez.

"See? I told ya she wouldn't be of any help, bro." He crossed his arms and shot her a judgmental look.

"Now hold on a second there, flapjack. I didn't say I wouldn't help. I'm just a little rusty, that's all." She snapped back.

"But I'm not." The new voice made everyone turn to look, and Tallulah's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Puck? When did _you_ ever have a practice?" She asked.

"I never was. But I've read about pretty much any spell that ol' Cypress could cough up, and even the counterparts and antidotes to everything." Puck explained in an almost excited manner.

"That's something, I guess." Shale said, trying to sound positive. It was at this point that the group stood around for a moment in silence, then Tallulah sighed again.

"Well, if we're going to the Badlands, we're going to need help getting there fast."

"Gotcha covered." Colt produced his satchel of crystals, pulling out the last of his teleportation gems and gesturing for everyone to move closer.

"Ah, so a pureblood has a few tricks up his sleeve? Color me purple." Tallulah commented.

"Violet or royal?" Colt joked as he raised the crystal above his head, and in an instant, the entire group had evaporated into a cloud of dark blue smoke.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The wind carried through the tight gaps in the bars to the cell window, circulating throughout the cell and giving it a slightly cooler atmosphere. The inhabitant of the tight quarters, however, had not stirred at the change. She was fast asleep upon her cot, curled up in a tight ball with her cheek resting on her tucked in arms. Her hair had continued to darken in hue, and her skin was losing its vivid glow with every second that ticked by.

The brush of a hand on her upper arm jolted her awake, her eyelids shooting open with her pink irises looking up into an unfamiliar face of almost pale white. For a moment, she thought she was sharing gazes with a skeleton.

"Oh, did I wake you? I'm sorry." The skeleton whispered on a voice light as air. Her vision came more into focus, and she blinked rapidly at the female sprite standing just inches away from her.

"No, no it's….fine. Who are you?" She managed to say, stretching herself and giving a monstrous yawn.

"I'm Colleen, ma'am, and this is Sunny and Moore." The princess came to realize that all three sprites sported the same ivory skin and platinum blonde hair, dressed in simple white tunics and sandals. Their wings had an opalescent, glassy sheen. Even their eyes boasted a very pale, pastel blue. The foremost one, who had been speaking this entire time, shook her head ever so lightly and allowed her whitewashed curls to bounce about.

"I didn't mean to frighten you. Honest. It's just….we've never seen a half-breed this close before." She mused in a whimsical, stunned manner. She said nothing in response, continuing to look between the three of them.

"What's your name?" Colleen questioned. After a pause, the young Princess slung her feet over the edge of her cot cautiously.

"Willow."

"Willow….how beautiful." Colleen whispered on pure adoration.

"Thank you." Willow replied gently.

"We're three of King Cypress' servants and were sent to watch over you." Colleen explained, gesturing between herself and the two male sprites.

"Watch over me? Where could I possibly go?" The princess responded with an incredulous tone, amazed at the irony of such a statement.

"We don't know, miss. We're just following orders." Sunny answered, speaking for the first time since Willow had come to. At first, she said nothing, but realized that they too had their wings sloped downwards and pinned to their back.

"You…..can't fly either?" She changed the subject. A morose exchange of glances between the three sprites made her frown deeper.

"No…..no sprite can. Our wings are clipped from birth." Moore explained. Willow shook her head in disbelief.

"But why?" She whispered.

"Our wings are our most powerful assets, miss. They can carry us for very far distances and it is hard to catch us if we have free use of them." Colleen graciously informed her, keeping her dainty hands clasped neatly in front of her. The two boys did the same, and they all watched her quite intently as she squirmed under their gaze.

"King Cypress clips them to keep us from escaping this dreadful land." Sunny elaborated bitterly.

"How horrible." The princess mumbled with sympathy.

"Nothing you need worry about, Miss Willow." Colleen insisted.

"Is there _anything_ that can free you?" Willow imagined there had to be _some_ way, even if it was quite ridiculous. As she had come to find out the hard way in this very strange land of magic spells and curses.

"Well, many sprites say that King Cypress carries a special beacon somewhere on his person that controls the clippings. And it is said that if it were to break, we'd all be free." Colleen piped happily, and for the first time during the entire interaction, Willow spied a ghost of a smile on her lips. However, it soon faded with a very tight squeeze of her comrade's hand on her shoulder. Willow could see her wince at the contact.

"But it's just a legend. And nobody has ever gotten close enough to the King to find it." He insisted, and Colleen gave a wordless nod in agreement. At the conclusion of the small session of information, Willow could only shake her head again.

"Well, I'm sorry for you all. I wish I could help you." She assured them.

"With all due respect, Miss Willow, I believe the only one you should be concerned about helping is yourself." Colleen replied, at which the Princess furrowed a brow in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"The King….he's an evil troll. The worst that any of us have ever seen." Moore started.

"He'll stop at nothing to get what he wants." Sunny continued.

"And right now, you're the only one standing between him and what he's after." Colleen finished in an orderly fashion. Only one thing was still left unanswered in Willow's mind, and she decided to confide in the three sprites under the hurried assumption that they would not relay their conversation with her back to anyone of importance.

"…..And when I've given him what he wants?"

The three creatures exchanged another morose look before answering.

"…He'll kill you." Moore mumbled quietly. She gasped, but Colleen stepped forward and shook her head.

"But not to worry, Miss Willow. It seems he won't have the chance. You're under a blood-binding spell, aren't you?" They had all given her a once-over at that moment, and suddenly Willow felt like a bug under a microscope.

"Yes….Deveraux put it on me." She confirmed.

"With any luck, it'll take you before Cypress has a chance." Sunny piped. This made a flare of disgust erupt in the back of her brain and she scowled.

"What kind of sick optimism is that? I want to _live_. I want to see my parents again, I want…." She rambled, cutting herself off and squeezing her eyes shut to keep from crying. There would be no more tears spent over this. She refused.

"We're terribly sorry, Miss Willow. We didn't mean to upset you. We're just trying to be realistic, is all." Colleen quickly apologized to cover all three of them.

"Well, I have enough _realistic_ people in my life, thank you very much." Willow replied, jerking her eyes away and beginning to hug her knees to her chest. The burn of accumulating tears was present, and she squeezed her eyes shut again to protest their release. There was an echoing sound of footsteps nearing the cell, and all four pairs of eyes laid upon the tall, red-haired Huntsman who had rounded the corner. He stopped in a rush for a moment, looking between the three sprites in surprise.

"What's going on here? Who sent you all?" He demanded.

"King Cypress, Huntsmen. To watch over Miss Willow here." Colleen answered.

"Well, that's _my_ job, so why don't you do me a favor and scram?" Briar took no time in snapping back, jutting a thumb backwards in the way of which he came. The sprites jumped into action, nodding their heads quite feverishly as they began filing from the cell. Willow spied something odd about them as their backs faced her. Around their wings, there was a ring of almost opalescent blue, glowing and quite tight at the very base. She blinked again as Colleen spoke.

"Yes, Huntsmen. Of course, Huntsmen." She conceded, and it wasn't long before they were out of view. He glared after them, giving a haughty scoff.

"Royal Sprites. Brainwashed little things." He grumbled before turning to Willow. His expression softened considerably and took a few more steps closer. "What did they say? Did they hurt you?" He reached out to look her over, but she shook her head.

"No." She choked out. It was then he noticed the single trail of glistening moisture on her left cheek, and he sighed.

"Well, whatever they said to make you cry, forget about it okay? We're getting you out of here." He ordered.

"You keep saying that, but I have yet to see any results." Her tone had become soft and bitter in emotion.

"Hey, I'm trying my best, okay? As long as Deveraux feels a need to keep me close to you, we have a shot. My friends should be going to get your parents and bringing them here. Then I'll sneak you out of here and get you to them." Briar said, and it was after this explanation that he took up the seat next to her. The graying troll looked to him with glistening eyes, her tears still prominent as her lip quivered.

"You're being so optimistic. Why?" She whispered, pleading with him silently to drop the act if he was not in fact genuine. Much to her unbeknownst knowledge, he was.

"Because I know there's a chance." He stated. This made her think for a moment, then she nodded.

"Well…..thank you." Her gratitude sent his heart pounding again, and he scrambled to return the kind words.

"Well, I um…." His feet tapped anxiously against the stone floor, jiggling his leg a little as he fought for the right sequence of words. "I-I had to make things right…."

"You've said that before." She pointed out with an air of amusement.

"I know, but it's the truth. You deserve to be with your parents, your village…..none of this should have ever happened. It's all my fault, and I'm the one who needs to set things straight." He declared, the heat on his cheeks becoming quite obvious as he kept his eyes away from her steady gaze.

"Briar." Willow whispered on a tone that made his entire body warm. He looked to her for the first time in several moments, and she was smiling at him. Genuinely smiling.

 _Oh, my troll._ He thought in wonder.

"What?" He managed to croak out. She giggled, bringing a hand up to her mouth bashfully to try and hide the spreading grin. It was adorable.

"Can I have my hand back?" It was then that he came to the realization that during his ramble, he had enclosed his hand tightly around her one that rested on her lap, making her fingertips and knuckles pale completely. He chuckled nervously, releasing his grip immediately.

"Oh, yeah. Of course…sorry." He hurriedly tried to cover up his obvious fluster at the contact. Willow chuckled breathlessly through her nose, flashing a small smile and giving her hand a gentle rub.

"No problem." She whispered. The two continued to look at one another in a sense of amazement, and Briar was about to say something else when a shrieking call jolted them both back into reality.

"HUNSTMAN BRIAR." He gave Willow one last look before hurriedly exiting and shutting the cell door. He made his way down the hall and into the glaring eyes of his superior. He immediately snapped to attention, puffing his chest out for emphasis.

"Yes, sir?" He asked.

"What's the meaning of driving out His Highness' Sprites when they were sent to watch the prisoner?" Deveraux demanded with a spit in his tone. Briar tensed, trying to keep his composure as he answered.

"With all due respect, sir, you placed _me_ in charge of her safekeeping." The vicious troll pointed a scraggily finger at him, his scowl deepening and his finger beginning to wag in a scolding manner.

"You are not to raise another syllable to anyone that comes from His Majesty's court. Is that clear?" He shouted. He jumped at the raise in his voice, then gave a curt nod.

"Yes, sir." Deveraux grumbled, turning about to pick up a satchel of sorts and clipping it to his belt.

"Now go tell that slimy half-breed to prepare herself. We head to the sepulcher in an hours' time." He ordered and Briar wasted no time in booking it back down the hallway and into Willow's cell once more, where the girl had once again taken up her cot on her side. She lifted her head up at his return, looking to him expectantly.

"What was that about?" She asked. The young male troll shook his head, his deep red locks quivering at the movement.

"Nothing. Just be ready to escape within the next hour." He informed her.

"Next hour? I…." She clenched her chest, falling back down onto the cot with her eyes squeezed shut. Briar dashed to her side in alarm, throwing himself to his knees.

"Willow!" He cried, cupping a hand behind her head and lifting it up so he could look into her face. Her eyes reopened only slightly, her chest heaving for air.

"I don't know…if I can hold on much longer….." She managed to croak. He shook his head at her words, lifting himself to his feet and shifting them both to where he was allowing her to rest against him.

"You have to. Just try, okay?" He reached up a hand to the side of her face. "Please."

"Briar…" She pleaded on a voice almost inaudible, and he just cradled her close, holding her head against his chest with his thumb still stroking her cheek. He didn't care if anyone saw them.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So, what exactly _is_ your plan, genius?"

The entire group panted heavily as they reached their destination. A slope of a hill lay before them, with even higher peaks in the distance with a rather grotesque looking castle nestled in the valley between the two largest ones. The land was devoid of any life as far as they could tell, with very little grass and a long, winding gravel path leading from where they stood all the way up to the castle gate. However, the soft hum of electric was in the air, and it didn't take a brilliant mind to realize what it was. The Huntsman turned to the female sprite.

"Tallulah, we just need a way to create a hole in the barrier. After that, it should be smooth sailing." Colt informed her, at which she once again returned his declaration with a hearty laugh.

"Honey. To tear a hole in the barrier would require at least two more sprites' kinetic energy and magic to even _begin_ conjuring up enough juice for a tear."

It was at this moment that the group spotted three white sprites emerging from behind the curve of the hill, walking single file with their hands clasped in front of them neatly.

"Hey, you!" Tallulah called out, making them all look to her. They glanced between each other before the foremost one, a female, pointed a finger at her chest.

"Us?" She whimpered. Tallulah waved them over urgently.

"Come here!" She demanded. The three conceded, stopping a few feet away from them.

"We need your help." Puck pleaded, but the female shook her head rapidly.

"Oh, Master Cypress doesn't allow us to collaborate with condemned sprites." She said in a rather snotty tone, giving them both a once-over as she recognized them.

"You better 'collaborate' with us or I'll-!" Puck began while bringing back a fist, but Tallulah quickly placed a hand over it to stop him.

"It's about the Princess. Have you seen her?" She asked.

"Yes. We've just come from her cell." One of the male sprites explained, gesturing to the castle in a nonchalant manner.

"How is she?" Branch asked frantically, making the three look him over as well with a skeptical gaze. However, they chose to confide in them for whatever reason.

"Beautiful young thing. So very weak….it's a pity that Cypress is sure to kill her if this spell does not." The female explained.

"So, you recognize the spell they used on her?" Puck inquired further.

"Yes." The other male sprite confirmed.

"We need to get in there to save her. We need your help." Tallulah explained to them, jutting a finger towards the castle in the distance. However, the shake of their heads sent a flare of frustration in her brain.

"I'm afraid we cannot do that." The female deadpanned. Tallulah scoffed, putting both hands on her hips.

"Come on. You're _seriously_ going to continue to defend that no-good Cypress when all he's done is make slaves out of us? Don't you _want_ freedom?"

The question was a massive one, something she did not want to pull on the three obviously brain-dead sprites. There was a long pause as they stared at her with eyes as wide as saucers. She stepped closer, clasping both hands together.

"Please. I'm askin' ya, sprite to sprite. We _need_ this just as much as Willow does." At the mention of her name, Branch and Poppy both perked up slightly. A well of hope arose within them as the three white creatures turned to collaborate for a moment in a flurry of whispers, glancing back at them every now and again before the female turned to her once more.

"Alright. We'll do it." She complied.

"Great. You know what to do." Tallulah placed her full confidence in them, and with a solemn nod, the three joined Tallulah and Puck in a tight circle, conjoining hands. Their heads lifted to the sky, and as they continued to look towards the heavens, a glow began to appear from their sternums, slithering out in a stream of light and swirling about in mirth in the center. Before long, a beam was created, piercing the nearly invisible barrier with a hole just large enough for all of them to fit through. Even Aloe and Sage, who were taller than the other trolls. The beam withdrew and all five sprites heaved back and opened their eyes, looking around wildly for a moment before Tallulah began her walk over to the generated hole.

"Whoa." Canella muttered in wonder as they all stared at her. She jerked her head to them.

"Let's go. We only have ten minutes until the tear closes." She ordered, and they all hurriedly weaved their way through.

Approaching the small hill near the castle, the Huntsmen took the lead again and peered over its edge upon the castle walls.

"If I know Briar, he'll be looking for us." Colt commented as he ducked back behind the safety of the mound of earth.

"And how long is _that_ going to take?" Branch snapped.

"Depends. Judging by the fact that Cypress will want to conduct the ceremony tonight, it will only be a matter of time." Shale explained. Colt once again peeked his head over the edge, peering at the only door facing them. He was certain that their comrade would emerge from there when he was ready to make contact.

Meanwhile, Briar had left Willow in her cell upon the sound of approaching Guardsmen, trying to keep his intentions as muddled as possible to them for a higher chance of escape. He straightened his posture as he passed them in the hallway, giving a nod to them both out of respect. They returned it, and once they were far enough away, he made a straight break for the front side door. With any luck, the rescue team would be within the vicinity by now.

Opening the door cautiously, he stared out across the sky. Blue and bright from the fading afternoon. If it were any other day, he would have taken up a seat and marveled in its beauty. But it was far from the appropriate time to do so.

Skimming the horizon, he watched every square inch with determination. It was with widened eyes that he looked upon a couple of tufts of earthen-colored hair. One tuft arose to a pair of gray eyes, and Colt and Briar exchanged a look of surprise followed by a nod. Colt gave a signal, and Briar nodded once more, disappearing back into the castle. He adjusted the strap to his sword and sheath on his back, taking special care to walk briskly but quietly through the cavernous hallways on his trek back to Willow's cell. Upon arrival, he found her to be fast asleep, curled up in a ball. He jerked the door open after unlocking it crossing the small distance to the cot and grabbing her shoulder to shake her awake.

"Willow. Willow, wake up." He whispered viciously, making her eyelids lift ever so slightly as she inhaled sharply.

"Ugh, what is it Briar?" She grumbled, pressing her palm into her left eye socket to give it a generous rub.

"Get up. We're leaving." He ordered. She slackened again, resting her head on the pillow and peering up at him with one eye open.

"Briar, what are you….talking about?" She released a big yawn mid-sentence. "Let me sleep…." He grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet with ease.

"If you lay here any longer, you won't wake up. _Come on_." He barked, yanking her along as they fled from her cell and down the hall.

The beeline to the outside seemed almost too easy, with no sign of any Guardsmen nearby but Briar quickly pushed it to the back of his mind as they reached the same door he had been in moments earlier.

Meanwhile, amidst their hiding place, Colt and Shale had been the lookouts as the rest of the group waited patiently for Briar and Willow's arrival. However, it seemed that none of them paid enough attention to the surrounding area as they were ambushed violently. A scuffle ensued, and Colt felt a vice-like grip clamp at the back of his neck.

"Hey! What are you-?" He shouted, thrashing about in the Guardsmen's grip. However, the trained trolls were much too strong for them, and they all were taken away. Coincidentally, Briar emerged with Willow in tow, searching the horizon for where he had spotted his comrades just moments before. With no sign of them, his stomach dropped and it wasn't a very long distance between his realization and the glide of metal that made his gaze snap into the grin of his superior, King Cypress flanking him with a just as malicious expression.

"Going somewhere?" Deveraux taunted. Briar felt the pressure of his heated words in his throat, but Willow's sudden cry of distress made him whip about. In an instant, she was yanked from him and set atop a horse with a Guardsmen, who had knotted his fingers violently into her hair and kept tension on it. She screamed in agony, and Briar's fingers dug into his palms as he clenched his fists tightly.

"I told you to not try anything foolish. Now _move._ " Deveraux hissed, pointing to an empty horse just off to his left.

"Briar…." Willow whimpered helplessly. He began to step towards her with an agonizing look in his eyes. In a flash, Deveraux's staff was in his face to halt him.

"You take one more step towards her, I'll blast you to smithereens!" He boomed. Briar halted, giving him the nastiest glare before turning his gaze back to the weakening Princess, who said nothing but with her pleading eyes.

"I'm sorry…." He mouthed to her, obeying his master and climbing atop the horse for departure. It was with this that the small party left for their destination.

In a heap, the entire party was thrown back through the tear as it indefinitely closed, and Tallulah threw herself against it in a failed attempt to keep it open. She slammed into the barrier with anger, making the Guardsmen laugh at her in amusement.

"NO!" She yelled.

"It's no big deal, we'll just create another hole!" Verne suggested.

"Young man. Do you have _any_ idea how much energy that took?" Tallulah snapped back at him.

"And besides, there are no more sprites anywhere around here." Puck reminded them.

"So there's no way of getting there now?" Poppy shrieked frantically. The sprite turned to face her worried expression, struggling to regain her rhythm of breathing as she looked to the ground momentarily.

"No, there isn't. At least…..not from us." She answered in a mysterious fashion. They all looked back to the horizon, where the castle and everything beyond it lay.

"It's all up to ol' Briar now." Tez said what they all were thinking amidst the silence. Aloe and Sage looked to one another, exchanging the same knowing but worried glance. Nearby, the King of Troll Village grumbled low in his throat.

"Great." Branch growled. His frustration was beyond measurable, feeling completely useless as he stood on the threshold of his daughter's rescue and could not do a thing. Why had they even tried? All hope rested solely on the very troll who got them into this mess in the first place. It made him sick to the stomach.

"The crystal. We can at least stay up to date with the crystal." Puck suddenly remembered, and Sage once again fished for it in his satchel.

"What good will _that_ do?" Canella snapped.

"It's a shot. At least we'll know what's going on." Tallulah explained, and they huddled around the crystal as the current situation played out before them.

Before long, they came across a vast clearing amidst the hills. The mouth of a cave lay off to the right, with strange ancient writing carved along in a grotesque manner. It was dark and foreboding, riddled with bad vibes.

They soon stopped the horses and dismounted, and the King himself walked over and yanked Willow from his Guardsman, sending her hurdling to the ground as he dragged her forward.

"Now, my dear. The time has come." King Cypress mused, placing a finger underneath her chin in a mocking manner as she fought to keep herself standing. Briar, Deveraux, and a couple of Guardsmen stood a fair distance from them, watching the exchange unfold.

"You'll never….get away….with this." She forced out, cringing at the pain in her chest. He chuckled.

"Ah, but you see my child. We already have." He made a small movement with his hand, and in a flash Deveraux had swung his staff at the back of Briar's knees, making him yell in surprise and fall forward. A rough scuffle ensued, but ultimately the Huntsman was pinned in the dirt, his hands tied behind his back while he sat on his knees.

"Your little rescue party is about to be finished. Your Huntsman is fit to be tied. There is _no one_ left to come for you." She narrowed her eyes at him, but he kept his glare on her. "It's time you do what you were brought here for." He gave her a shove towards the sepulcher, and she almost collapsed right then and then. She panted for air, looking back at him once more to give him one final dagger of a glare.

"Deveraux, see to it that our… _guests_ have a proper greeting." He cackled.

"No." Willow whispered, but was dutifully ignored.

"As you wish, sire." The royal advisor complied, turning away. He knelt down to grab at Briar's chin, giving a particularly nasty grin.

"Now you get to see all your efforts be for naught, you wretched boy." He hissed, making Briar bare his teeth at him. He chuckled before turning to continue his walk away from them, reaching into his robes. Producing a small rock, he raised it high above his head. In a flare of light, he disappeared. Briar grunted, thrashing around in his restraints with the Guardsmen beside him giving a swift kick to his side to halt his struggle. He growled in pain, hunching over to combat the feeling of his bones cracking at the contact.

Through the crystal, Aloe began to sob at the brutal blows her brother was receiving. Sage hugged her close, with the rest of the group looking away in disgust at the exchange. They didn't seem to care that they were going to be having company. They could take care of that when the time came.

Briar coughed for a moment, inhaling sharply through his nose and giving another grunt. His side was throbbing, but he paid it no mind as he watched Cypress and Willow venture further in the cavernous sepulcher.

"Now, dear girl. We must wait for sunset. Only then will it be appropriate to approach the tomb." He informed her, his hands like clamps on either one of her shoulders, guiding her forward in a brutal manner. She conceded only because she lacked the strength to resist.

They soon came to another section of the cave that was busted open, cracked stone and rubble upon the ground in a heap. It indicated that someone had been there before, and a sickening feeling fell over her. She did not like this place. The blood in her veins curdled at its sight. The reason was eerie and mysterious to her, but her attention quickly turned elsewhere as they stopped mere feet away from the gaping second entrance.

"Here is where we will wait." He informed her, looking back to watch for the signal from his Guardsman.

Briar continued to struggle for air on his knees, his back hunched over and his eyes staring into the ground. He lifted his eyes off to the left to catch the last rays of sun disappearing behind the hills, its amber light flooding the cave for a few moments before beginning to fade. As the last sliver of the glowing orb vanished, the Guardsmen gave his signal to the King. Cypress nodded, shoving Willow forward.

"Get going." He barked, and the girl started forward again.

She felt the coolness of the tomb ahead engulf her skin as she stepped through the threshold, Cypress' presence a threatening reminder against her back. The sight that lay before her was quite ornate indeed.

The tomb was a rotunda of sorts, reaching up into a curved ceiling that boasted many ornate carvings. Depictions of scenes from times lost long ago, and a new wave of something crashed over Willow as she continued forward. It was with a sudden drop in her stomach that she realized Cypress had stopped several feet back, allowing her to venture on alone but still under his watchful glare.

As she approached the flat stone centered in the middle of the room, she began to question everything she had learned up until this point. The spell, the atmosphere, the King's desperation to get his hands on a power he didn't understand. There was something missing from the storyline. Something that she was convinced that no pureblood would know. Maybe not even her family would know. Something that would make everything fall together. She could feel it in this place. Calling to her, begging her to understand.

The words etched on the stone were once again in a language that made no sense to her, and she wondered how on earth she would ever begin to figure out how to unlock this supposed spell within.

"Might I remind you that time is ticking away, young lady. And the longer you dilly dally, the more chance there is of me resorting to an alternative."

Willow ignored the threat, her eyes training themselves on the stranger symbols across the rough surface. What could it possibly _mean_?

 _Twenty._

In a rapid blink of her eyes, she regained focus on the word. As if by some unknown force, the symbols began to take shape in legible words, and the one that appeared first was her clue.

 _Twenty._

It was then that her pink eyes lifted to the surrounding circumference of the room, and she realized there were markers. Grave markers. All perfectly spaced apart and circling the entirety of the space. Each one was similar in structure, with the only difference being the names carved on them. They began to become legible as well, with names such as Juniper, Magnolia, Elder…Aster.

She blinked again. Aster. The name of the only one of Rowan's children who had survived. And was also coincidentally the name of the good king of the purebloods who had died fifteen years ago. There couldn't possibly be a connection…..could there?

Then an idea came to her brain. Raising a finger, she began counting the markers. One, two, three….

 _BIRCH! YOU BLOODTHIRSTY MONSTER! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?_

Willow gasped, clutching at her head as the screams of many filled her head. Still, she counted. Four, five, six, seven, eight…..

 _Blood spilled upon the floor, staining the tile red as the thud of collapsing bodies fell all around._

She whimpered, knotting her hand in her hair in agony as she kept counting. Nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen…..

 _A troll of immeasurable beauty and color held onto her teenage son, looking up at him through eyes of terror. He screamed in agony, watching the light fade from her eyes as death overtook her._

Fourteen, fifteen…

 _A pair of glaring eyes red with fury pierced him from eyes to chest, the bloodied sword in his hand as he grinned with a wicked mirth about him. The room reeked of death and spilled carnage. The tall windows lining either side of the room stood wide open, their linen curtains billowing like ghosts towards the center walkway._

" _What say you, cowardly child of my feigned brother? Has the feline taken your tongue?" He mocked with a laugh that churned the stomach._

Willow clutched at her gut, feeling the twisting of pain within as the flashbacks continued to play across her mind as she neared the end of her count.

Sixteen, seventeen…..

" _You never really did take after your father, did you? Well, I suppose I must finish the job. After all, Rowan will be so stricken with grief that he won't have time for you anyways. So in all truth, I'm doing you a favor."_

The screams echoed in her brain once more, and she looked to the last three markers.

Eighteen, nineteen…She froze. The final marker was more elaborate than the rest, flowers carved into it all around, but the name is what caught her attention.

Azalea.

 _So he instructed Aster, his only remaining son…_

Grandpa Peppy's words seemed so distant as they played in her mind, and with a sudden blink of understanding she felt everything settle into place.

This was in fact a tomb. A sepulcher meant for someone of great power. Up until this point, Willow had believed it to be the resting place of Rowan, since it was his spell that was supposedly encased here. A chill fell over her. She couldn't have been anymore wrong.

Twenty markers, twenty trolls laid to rest here. It was his family he had buried here, murdered in cold blood by Birch one fateful night hundreds of years ago. Rowan's grief had indeed overtook him, and suddenly all of the cogs locked into place.

The spell. The spell was not mysterious any longer. It was a revenge spell. Rowan's last conscious effort to avenge his beloved family's brutal murders at the hands of a purely evil brother. And he wanted his own descendant to carry it out.

Her.

That was why the number twenty had been so prominent in everything. All of it tied back to the agony of a father losing his children and beloved in the worst way possible.

Her head spun. The rage and agony of such an event still floated within her like a shark ready to bite. She could not blame him, for how could you possibly condemn a man for wanting to avenge his own family? However, she came to the third realization since entering the tomb that it was madness.

If she unlocked this spell now, what good would it do? Would it make her any better than Birch? Or anyone else for that matter that was of his blood?

She thought of Briar, of how kind he had been. Sure, he had taken her to this wretched land and yanked her out of her parent's loving arms. He had been a Huntsman his entire life, condemning family after family to suffer at the hands of the miserable King who stood just yards away from her. She had ever reason in the world to believe him to be as twisted as the rest of his race, and yet….

His eyes. Those warm, brown eyes that had looked on her with such reverence, such adoration. He was a changed troll, and she had scarcely come to truly grasp the idea until this very moment, faced with the ultimate dilemma of her life. He did not deserve this. In her heart of hearts, she knew he did not deserve this. And there was bound to be thousands of innocent purebloods as well who did not as well.

She could not go through with this. It was impossible. She could not unlock such a power.

 _It will be alright, my dear child._

She blinked, looking about for the source of the voice. She found nothing, but heard it once again.

 _I can feel your assumptions within, and you are only partially correct. Please. It will all be alright in the end._

This entire time of reflection for her had lasted, in reality, for a few mere minutes, and Cypress was beginning to lose his patience.

"Time is ticking away!" He screeched. Willow blinked rapidly, coming back to reality completely with the cool, dusty air settling upon her once more. She swallowed hard, looking back down onto the stone to think some more.

"No….Willow…..don't do it." Aloe pleaded quietly as they watched helplessly at her internal grappling for a decision.

The Princess closed her eyes, inhaling deeply and allowing it to slowly leak out her as her mind came to a resolve. She felt nothing. Not the spell draining her very life, not the weight of the situation. All she felt was peace, and she conjured up the one word that sealed everything.

 _Okay._

A rumble began to erupt from the earth, shaking the ground and making Willow begin to lose her balance. For once, she did not need anyone or anything to tell her what it was.

Outside, a cloud of blackish-grey sprouted amidst the growing night air, the rising moon the only light upon the situation.

"What's happening?" Verne cried out as the growing storm began to encircle the entire area above the sepulcher in the distance. With a long pause, the female sprite had arose to her feet and stared in horror.

"She's unlocked it." Tallulah mumbled.

"Shall we, my dear?" Cypress mused, extending a hand out to the Princess. She slowly took it with the greatest reluctance, giving a small whimper as she was once again thrown forward with her arm nearly being pulled from the socket. They made their way out of the tomb and back the way they came. All at once, Willow felt the return of her spell crash over her and her heart pounded to keep up. She gasped in pain. They soon came back into view of the Guardsman and Briar, who lay still on the ground with a rather large gash across his forehead now. Willow's face fell to agonized sympathy for him, and he only gave her a shake of his head in return, insisting he was alright. She wanted to run to him. Fight off the Guardsman and then take him with her back to her parents. There was absolutely nothing she wanted more.

Flashes of bright green lightning and breakneck winds whipped about as King Cypress emerged from the cave, a wild look in his eyes as he produced his royal scepter, staring the cloud of impending magic straight in the face. He dropped his grip on Willow's arm and allowed her to collapse completely.

"Finally! Now all the powers of both armies shall be mine!" He shrieked, raising the scepter high above his head like a conducting rod.

"You don't understand…." Willow choked out to him, barely audible as she made a desperate plea for him to come to his senses. Had she been of greater strength, she would have screamed the truth at him, hoping it would reach him. Somehow, she also knew it was never to be, regardless of what she said.

The cloud above them began to swirl into a cyclone-like appearance, it's bottom tip meeting the very top of the outstretched scepter. In a panic, everyone watching soon began asking a million questions.

"What's happening _now_?" Canella asked.

"He's absorbing its energy!" Sage cried out in recognition.

They all watched as Cypress continued to suck the spell into his scepter, slowly levitating from the ground until he was about twenty feet up. The green energy pulsated beneath his skin, filling him with an exhilaration that he could only imagine would do for him once he had taken the entirety of it.

"We have to get out of here. He's going to destroy everything." Puck announced, starting to grab for the nearest person's arm.

"Willow's still _in_ there! We're not leaving without her!" Poppy argued, pointing an angry finger in the storm's direction.

Cypress was now teeming with an electric green glow, his eyes pure orbs of light that glared down on the crumpled form beneath him. The Princess slowly lifted her eyes to meet his, her hair whipping about quite wildly in the strong winds.

"Now, dear one. It is time for _you_ to meet your fate."

"NO!" Poppy screamed, lunging towards the crystal orb as Branch held her back, pulling her into a hug as they watched in agony at their daughter's situation.

An orb of electrical energy began accumulating at the scepter's tip, sights becoming set on Willow's crumpled form. She kept her gaze steady, continually glaring death straight in the face as it prepared to annihilate her.

 _So be it._ She thought bitterly. There was nothing left to live for. She was finished either way.

Before she had time to think of her final wishes, a blunt force tackled her completely flat against the ground, its weight on top of her. The sounds and sights of the next moment were almost indescribable, with a high-pitched screech of sound and a bright light of sorts completely blinding her for a few seconds.

"No way." Sage mumbled as they could tear their eyes away.

Before long, Willow's eyesight came back into focus, and she looked up to see Briar's face hovering above hers. His teeth were bared and clenched, his sword held out in front of him as it took the blunt force of the strike. She stared up at him in wonder.

"It's him! It's the true Crown Prince!" Tallulah exclaimed in excitement, earning completely flabbergasted looks from everyone except the two purebloods on the edge.

"Yes." They all turned to Aloe, who had the biggest smile on her face as she stood with an arm around Sage, who also stared into the crystal with an amazed look in his eyes. "He's finally claiming his throne."

All eyes were on Briar as the attack ceased and Cypress had withdrawn his offense, growling angrily in frustration. The young male troll slowly lifted himself from Willow's tiny body, regaining himself on his feet and giving his sword a swing through the air, listening to it ring from the drastic temperature change. Once cool enough, he stopped in a defensive stance, putting himself between her and the vicious King.

"Get. Away. From her." He ordered. There was long stay of movement, the two purebloods in a heated stare-down. A few more seconds went by before Cypress laughed, throwing back his head for a moment.

"Oh, Huntsman Briar, my boy." He mused before raising his scepter once more in their direction. "You just made the absolute worst mistake of your life." Briar began to take a turn around the hovering troll, his eyes deadly and his posture rigid and radiating strength. He shook his head curtly.

"No. The mistake was made when you murdered my father."

Everyone within earshot could not believe their ears. The air fell eerily silent. Aloe and Sage exchanged a look of worry. Now the truth had come out.

Willow had managed to lift herself up enough to look at him, and her heart sank at his words. It all suddenly made perfect sense. Everything, from the very beginning. Briar's story had become synonymous with Rowan's, and it seemed that for once, revenge was perfectly in order. However, she scarcely had time to think on it much longer before Cypress laughed again to break away her focus, and quietly she continued to watch the exchange.

"Bringing that up now, are we?" He mocked, lowering ever so slightly as he prepped himself to talk for a moment. "He was just getting in the way, dear boy. Entirely too soft to be King. You all were entirely too compassionate. The purebloods needed a change, and I provided it. Simple as that."

"He was three times the troll you will _ever_ be." Briar growled, taking a step forward and jutting his free finger in his uncle's direction. Cypress was beginning to feel agitated, clenching his fists and scowling.

"Then why couldn't he defeat me, hm? Oh, because he was protecting his _family_? Ha! What a riot! He couldn't protect any of you any more than you can protect this half-breed scum. Just like you couldn't protect Mommy dearest and little sister." The hiss in his words was enough to make skin crawl, but nothing compared to the completely icy appearance that the pureblood Prince took on as his sights became murderous.

"You leave them out of this." He warned.

"Oh, feisty! You can almost pass for a _real_ pureblood!" Cypress continued to mock him, throwing his hands up in fake surrender. His smiled wickedly. "Your mother pleaded so _pitifully_. She could barely stand, let alone fight for her own children." Willow saw Briar's fists quiver with the amount of force he was using to tighten them.

"She was pregnant." The burning rage behind his eyes would have been enough to melt steel. Cypress only chuckled at his nephew's angered state.

"And what was _your_ excuse, boy? You were too frightened to even stand up for them, or yourself. And now, you're going to lie in your cowardice just as you did then." Briar felt his teeth grind in his mouth as he fought to keep his composure. Visions of that night flashed across his mind. He had pleaded for their lives in exchange for his stake at the throne. What else was he to do? Watch as his supposed relative took the rest of his family away from him?

Willow could see the ongoing struggle in his stance, and her heart broke for him. There was nothing she could ever imagine being worse at that age. With another chuckle, Cypress tapped at the scepter dotingly, running a jagged fingernail along its length and giving Briar a nonchalant glance.

"A pity, really. Begonia would have been my wife had it not been for your father's meddling. Then where would that have left you and your worthless siblings?" Briar said nothing for a moment, only continuing to pierce into his eyes with his own. "Now, you either get out of my way and let me finish her, or I'll add you to my list of total obliteration."

He did not move, his sword still at ready stance. Cypress rolled his eyes with a click of his tongue.

"Why must my relatives always _insist_ on making things difficult?" He complained before shooting a couple of bolts in his direction. Briar effortlessly dodged and slashed at them, moving his body in ways that Willow never would have thought possible. The sprites erupted in awes of wonder as their true monarch lept about in a wild fashion.

He upped the power of the strikes slightly, and the two continued their duel until Briar struck down the largest bolt he had shot with a loud grunt, his sword singing once again from how hot it was compared to the air. He glared at his uncle, and he felt a deep satisfaction as fear flashed across his eyes for a moment.

"It's over, Cypress. I'm not afraid of you anymore." The young Prince boomed, extending out his sword once more. The false King's eyes darkened considerably after this.

"We'll see about that, boy." He growled, raising himself back up to his previous height, outstretching his arms to full length as he prepared himself for the next strike. He took the liberty to send a weaker strike his way, knocking the young Prince back a few steps but otherwise maintaining his balance. Amidst his struggle, he looked back into Willow's horrified face.

"Go on, get out of here! I can take care of him!" Briar managed to force out between strikes, jerking his head back in her direction. She stared at him for a moment, frozen in her spot. She could not move. She was lost in the duel laid out before her. She couldn't possibly do it.

" _ **GO!**_ " He screamed, and she jolted into action and made her way from the violent scene. Cypress barely took any notice as he continued to attack his nephew with all the power he could muster.

Blurs of stone and the dark gray sky swirled about in her vision, her knees beginning to give out beneath her as she tried to climb the slope of the hill nearby. She fell to the ground, giving out a pained cry as the growing darkness within her continued to suck away the remaining life and color teeming within her. She stared into the earth, her ears ringing quite powerfully as a solemn memory suddenly played across her mind.

 _We have to take care of them and their needs first, even if it means putting ours on hold._

Her father's words rung like a melodious bell in the depths of her thoughts, illuminating an area within herself that she barely knew existed, but finding to be completely taking over her entire psyche.

She turned her head just enough to look back, watching Briar continue to receive a beating from the over-powerful King. The whole world fell away. Nothing existed except the three of them, nothing mattered more at the moment. What kind of troll would it make her to run away? To run away and forget her salvation? Regardless of whether she had wanted it or not, it was her reality. Her duty. Her destiny.

In one split second, her mind was made. It was also in this blink of time that a newfound strength overflowed within her, and in a flash, she was up and hurdling back down the hill.

A particularly nasty blow knocked Briar to the ground with a growl of pain, his sword clattering beside him as he fell in a heap. He panted wildly, scratches and bruises of every kind riddling his body from the ordeal. His skin burned with a heat he never thought possible, and sweat beaded his forehead like a million tiny stars, glittering in the sickening glow of Rowan's ancient power. Cypress had neared him quite drastically, his arms raised and accumulating his next strike. This one, however, was beginning to emit a bright white aura at its sheer power. It was obvious that the false King was giving this round everything he had.

"Now you're going to pay the ultimate price, you fool! And all for a little half-breed! How pathetic!" He mocked in a nasty hiss, lifting his arms to where they were straight above his head.

"Oh, I wish there was something we could do! He's going to kill him!" Tallulah cried out in agony.

"Weak. Compassionate. Full of sob stories." Cypress belted out angrily. "You could be a sappy drama novel." He struck Briar again, his body flying backwards even further. "You think you have what it takes to be _King_? Don't make me laugh!" His shrieks became cackles as he cast down his bolts of pure heat, and with one more forced movement, Briar's sword was up and guarding his weakening form, once again taking the blunt of the attack. He held the sword with both hands, wrenching it about ever so slightly as the beams began to waver back and forth.

If this was to be his final act, he was to go out in a blaze of glory. A fight to the very end. He would have it no other way. His father's sacrifice demanded it. There was no other way he could possibly repay what had been done for him but in this. He would slay the man who had his beloved parent's blood on his hands, whether or not he died doing so.

"Briar!" The voice made him falter slightly, sending the bolts flying upwards and almost hitting him square in the jaw. With wide eyes of panic, he looked back abruptly and spied Willow clinging to a nearby boulder.

" _Willow_?" He screamed in shock. "What in the world are you _doing_ here? You should be heading to the Savros Bridge with everyone!" He scolded, shifting his sword to the right some more as he continued to combat his uncle.

"I can't let you do this alone." She cried out as she neared him ever so slightly. He wanted to argue with her, but it appears her attention was elsewhere. She needed to think up a counterattack and fast. Briar was a hearty troll, there was no doubt about it. But she knew he could not hold out forever, and Cypress was proving to be a vicious opponent.

With wandering eyes, she landed on Cypress himself, looking him over for any points of weakness that could be of use to them in that moment. Scaling upwards, her eyes landed squarely on the crown atop his head, and she squinted to peer closer. The very faint glow that emitted from it was different than the engulfing green of the spell, and she recognized it to be a faint blue. Suddenly something clicked in her memory that allowed her to put two and two together. She bolted from her hiding spot.

"Keep him distracted." She called back to Briar, and for a moment he turned his head to watch her move across the way.

"Willow, no-! UGH!" He cried out, giving a very annoyed growl as he shifted his feet and continued to keep his hold.

"They haven't shown up yet! They're going to get themselves killed!" Aloe exclaimed worriedly.

"Uh, guys…..we've got company." Puck called back, and they all turned to notice the small army of Guardsmen heading their way. Sage quickly shoved the crystal ball back in his satchel as the group formed a line facing the oncoming force. Leading them was none other than Deveraux, and the sight of them sent everyone reeling backwards for a moment. However, it seemed that it did not phase everyone.

"I'm through messing around. Let's end this. _Now._ " Branch declared, taking on a defensive stance. They exchanged worried glances, but nonetheless followed in the King's example. As the Guardsmen and their secondhand leader approached, they tensed up. Things were bound to get messy. They started forward at breakneck speed.

"Heads up!" yelled Tez, tossing an ax to the closest troll near him. Verne caught it with ease, and they prepared to engage with everything they had.

The 'battle' that ensued was a heated one, with both sides showing immense amounts of strength in everything they did. In all truth, it seemed pointless to have such a scuffle happen to them, but if it could get them any closer to finding the peace they so desperately sought, it would be worth it. Tallulah had found herself in a headlock, flailing her legs about in a struggle for air as the arm continued to coil tightly around her windpipe. However, the ground fell from beneath the Guardsmen holding her, sending him crashing to the floor where Branch, with the help of his hair, had swung him about and threw him several yards away in one fluid motion.

"Wow! You've got some strong hair, Ya Excellency!" Tallulah complimented, and Branch gasped.

"Duck!" He yelled, and it was mere seconds between her doing so and him slamming the club in his hand into the face of yet another Guardsman that had been gunning for the sprite. Tallulah did a backflip in the air, sticking perfectly on her feet before engaging an oncoming foe. With ease, she dodged his swings and laughed.

"Ha ha, is that the best you've got? My grandpa throws better punches!" She mocked, making the Guardsman lose all composure in his movements and just begin swinging erratically.

Tez, Shale, and Colt unleashed all of their best moves of training on their counterparts, their weapons like extended arms in their grasp. Nearby, the Queen had a particularly hard time bring her opponent to her level, and he almost had her in a lock herself.

"So, Your Majesty. We meet again." Deveraux mused, his eyes piercing hers as she whimpered under his strength.

"Poppy!" Branch cried as he observed his wife's situation, and in a flash the King had hurled himself and his hair in the offending troll's direction, slamming into him and throwing a few deliberate punches into his face. Something was knocked from his person, but neither troll turned to give it a look during the fight. Deveraux writhed against his strength, clawing at any and everything within reach.

"You disgusting half-breed! I'll-!" The crusty pureblood shrieked until something caught his eye. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied Colt pick up the item that had been knocked from his person. His pouch of crystals.

Colt gave him a devious smile, holding the bag up for a moment.

"Gee, sir. I thought you'd be more careful about this." He mocked as Branch temporarily halted his blows to observe what was happening. Deveraux still struggled to free himself from underneath the stocky troll, glaring at his Huntsman.

"Huntsman Colt. Put. That. Down." He barked.

"Why? You've always told us how important it is to keep it close so nothing would break!" Colt continued. "Wonder what would happen if I did _this_?"

In a swift movement, he began squeezing the pouch around in his hands, the audible sound of crackling and crumbling rocks within becoming prominent. The leather material began to glow in his palms quite brightly, and Branch watched in complete amazement as Deveraux writhed quite horribly beneath him, clutching at his chest.

"No! NO! You wretched brat! Nooooooo!" He shrieked for what seemed like hours as he slowly began withering away. He continued to fade from view until there was nothing left but his tattered robes. Branch looked up at the Huntsman in confusion at what had just happened. Colt gave a nod to him, indicating that perhaps there would be time to explain later.

Blow after blow was made from both sides, with the Guardsmen continuing to advance on them and overpowering their numbers. It was becoming apparent that though they had a strong start, the group was just not built for this type of environment against trained soldiers.

"Lu, we can't do this for much longer!" Puck yelled to his friend, bringing up his knee into the jaw of his kneeling opponent. It seemed that stating the obvious was the agenda today, and frantically Tallulah looked to the darkening clouds in the distance, where she knew an even bigger conflict was taking place.

"Oh, girly, wherever you are, you better hurry." She pleaded quietly. She cried out in pain as another foe grabbed at her wings, and she quickly roundhouse kicked him to the face.

Groveling in the dirt, Briar spit out a bit of blood that was swishing around in his mouth. He wiped the excess away with a swipe of his sleeve, standing up yet again to face his uncle. His head was spinning like a top, but the rage within him still burned brightly enough to light his directive. He knew the end was near. For who, he could not say for certain.

 _What on earth does Willow think she's doing?_ He had not seen her since her curt demand a few minutes ago, and he was beginning to wonder whether she had collapsed somewhere indefinitely. He shook the thought from his mind as Cypress cackled with triumph, glaring down on him.

"You think you're brave just because you're defying me? I can't believe how absolutely _dense_ you're being! Nothing is as powerful as I am in this moment! _NOTHING!_ So, give it up, pretty boy! _I win._ " He taunted, conjuring up yet another blast within his hands. Briar took each breath gingerly, feeling the air around him buzz with electricity.

"Hey, bird for brains!" Both Cypress and Briar ceased for a moment to turn and look at the young Princess. She stood on a rock nearby, holding up his crown with a triumphant smirk. Both of their faces fell in shock, and Cypress began to quietly shake his head.

"No, it can't be." Cypress hissed, padding at the bare spot on his head with his fingers. Willow lifted the crown a bit higher now, preparing for the dramatic action.

 _That hair of hers._ Briar thought, shaking his head with the smallest smirk tugging at his lips. He always forgot about her hair.

"No, wait! STOP!" The false king begged, but she paid it no mind as she brought the crown down onto the ground with a loud crash, shattering the crystal in the center and releasing a powerful wave of air and sound that rocked the very earth.

"AAAAAAAAUUUUUGGGGHHHH!" Cypress cried out in agony, throwing his hands up angrily.

"Hold up, what's happening? Why can I move my wings again?" Puck commented as Tallulah and he began to wiggle them about. Tallulah smiled widely.

"It's Willow. She broke the beacon." She said, looking off into the distance.

"How do you know?" Aloe asked incredulously.

"I just have a feeling." She returned, and Puck began to laugh.

"Ho, ho, ho, now we're in _business_!" He mused, looking the remaining Guardsmen in their terrified faces. Hovering just inches above the ground, he jerked his head in a beckoning manner to his female counterpart. "C'mon, Lu! We've got some butt to kick!"

The group of trolls watched in awe as Tallulah and Puck wasted almost no energy flitting about and finishing off the rest of the horde that had attacked, moving with such speed and agility that it was hard for one to keep up with their movements. Indeed, they had meant it when they said their wings were their most powerful assets. With them, it was as if nothing could stop them.

"Wow. Remind me to stay on their good side." Verne commented as they finished the last two Guardsmen with a swift strike from each limb.

"Alright Puck, now let's go finish off that wretched so-called king." Tallulah said.

"And just _how_ do you plan to do that? There's only two of you! And the barrier's still up!" Tez pointed out. The two sprites exchanged a look.

"We have an idea." Puck mused, and he produced a pendant from around his neck that looked oddly like an ocarina, and Tallulah also had one.

"Never thought we'd get to ever use these, did we?" Tallulah asked, and Puck only chuckled in response as they both blew into them melodiously. The sound was deafening, and the trolls covered their ears in response and cringed. They held the note for a very long while, pulling away only as they began running out of air.

They all stared at the two in complete wonder. Truly, the sprites were a mystery. Their tricks never ceasing. It was no wonder that Rowan had become such good friends with them.

The buzzing of something soon came within their line of hearing, and they all turned to realize that a horde of sprites, young and old, were flying their way across the way to them in a frenzy. At the amazed expressions they were receiving, Tallulah giggled.

"Ancient ocarinas. Sprites used to use these babies to signal for help in the old days, especially in battle. There wasn't much use for them once Cypress clipped our wings, but we still received one as a traditional gift for our eighth birthday." Her little history lesson soon faded to oblivion as the masses reached them.

"Alright, everyone! We need to subdue King Cypress before he kills the Prince!" Tallulah called out to them.

"The Prince?" They all muttered in confusion.

"Yes, the true Crown Prince! He's down there, battling King Cypress right now as we speak!" She pleaded.

"Hey wait a minute. Aren't you Falco's daughter?" One of them asked.

"That's not the point! We have to act now or any hope of a tomorrow is going to be gone! Do you understand?" Tallulah cried out in desperation. She knew it was a stretch to have them all trust her, but to her elation, they only nodded.

"Alright, we're going to need to tear a hole in this barrier first."

The same process that was done earlier took place again, only this time the hole was ten times the size of the original one, and in a flurry, the entirety of them advanced into the Badlands without looking back. The small rescue group of trolls were soon left in the dust by their winged companions, and only continued to run forward across the miles between them and their destination.

Upon reaching the sepulcher area, Tallulah spotted the three trolls below and glanced backwards at the hovering brood of her kind. They looked unsure, nervous at what was to happen. They had never made use of their wings, and were struggling to realize what they should do with them. Thankfully, Tallulah had an idea.

"What are ya waitin' for? Attack!" She screamed to the huge crowd of her kind, and it was as if she had taken charge in that moment. The mass of sprites started forward in a wave, their cries deafening.

Round and round they flew, encasing Cypress in their mighty gusts of generated winds, more powerful than the ones he had managed to bring about. The pureblood growled in frustration, taking blind swings into the mass of humming wings. His blasts did not phase them in the slightest, their numbers so dense that it barely scathed any of them. The magic radiated from them like a barrier, sealing him in like a cocoon.

Briar had busied himself in trying to relocate Willow through the chaos, though the air had become so thick that he could barely see past the cyclone in front of him. He clung to the earth beneath him, burying his face into the dirt to try and keep from being sucked into the vortex. Within, Cypress writhed in anger, trying anything and everything to regain control. It was no use.

"You horrible, wretched scum! You dare do this to your _King_?" He shrieked to the masses of sprites, whose millions of pairs of eyes watched him with disdain.

"Keep going! Don't stop until he's wasted all of his energy!" Tallulah screamed through the noise, the sprites directly around her giving a confirming nod as they continued to encircle him, tightening their track so that he barely had room to move. With one final cry of anger, Cypress slammed his fist into the ground, releasing a shock wave that kicked up the ground in several waves. He disappeared completely from view, being seemingly gobbled up by the very earth beneath him. Sprites cried out in surprise, cast away by the blast. Everything became encased in clouds of dirt and debris, blocking out the sun and sending the masses of winged creatures hurdling several hundred yards away.

The waves reached the rescue group, knocking them several feet back and then engulfing them in the same blanket of absolute turmoil.

The world fell still as the last wave came and went, and with a rain of rubble and the hum of spent energy, there was no sound. No words, no movement. Nothing, but the heavy silence of a man's embittered destruction.

Completely dusted with dirt, Briar lifted his head from the ground and gave a few necessary coughs as he looked around. Was it truly over? Was the fight won? Was there anything left to resolve other than the well-being of the one troll he had come to care about the most?

"Willow?" He called out into the stillness of the world. It was deafening. He gritted his teeth for a moment, clenching a fist as he threw himself to his feet.

"WILLOW!" He screamed, silence being his only answer. The moonlight was barely enough to illuminate the dead world around him. There was not a sprite in sight, and in a scramble, he bolted forward to begin searching for her amidst the carnage of their ordeal.

Collective groans and coughs erupted as the rescue team slowly came to, lifting themselves up and looking around in awe at the drastic change of the world around them.

"Is everyone alright?" Aloe called out, and she took a mental tally of everyone's location in a rush.

"What just happened?" Verne groaned, clutching at his head as his vision fought to come into focus. However, all attention was turned to another source as Canella pointed off into the distance.

"Look!"

All eyes struggled to make out the impending dark spot through the thick fog-like clouds surrounding them, and it was with revered surprise as the dark spot took shape of a figure slowly advancing towards them, solitary in company and quite noiseless in its movements. The temperature seemed to drop as it came closer to them, their eyes steady on its form and waiting patiently for its arrival.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **Okay, first off I would like to sincerely apologize. This is literally the longest chapter I have ever written and since I'm a bit of a perfectionist, I wanted to make sure I left nothing out. So, I'm sorry if I've left any doubts on whether I was continuing with this story or not. I took a century to update and I'm sorry. Even so, I also apologize for anything that I may have missed amidst my hours of typing and editing this poor chapter to death. It really sucks sometimes when you're your own editor. Lol**

 **If there is anything that does not make sense to you all, please give me a chance to wrap it all up within the next couple of chapters. Again, this is a huge achievement for me in writing a chapter so long and I am sorry if any details slipped through in this particular update. I will do my best to resolve them with future additions.**

 **With that being said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was a pain to write at times, but I love pushing through the hard times and giving you all a good chunk to read. Thank you very much for your patience and I promise the next chapter won't take nearly as long to write. XD**

 **Sincerely and dutifully,**

 **Heartforhumanity845**


	9. Chapter 9

The dirty atmosphere had lifted considerably as the figure neared the crowd, and it was with a collective hush of soft gasps and pained denial that Briar came into view, his head hung low and his arms carrying the worst news possible.

Willow lay in his arms completely still, her eyes closed and her mouth turned in a soft frown. She was completely devoid of all color, pale gray in complexion with a large peak of pale black hair.

Briar approached Branch and Poppy without a sound, stopping just mere inches from them and looking up into their devastated stares. Gently, he transferred Willow into Branch's outstretched arms, and the King quickly and gently lowered himself to his knees, cradling his daughter close as Poppy placed both hands on either side of her daughter's face.

"Oh no. Branch, what do we do? What do we _do_? She's so-" Poppy began to frantically babble, tears forming in her eyes.

"Poppy." The use of her name made her lock eyes with her beloved for a long moment, and she could see the suffering behind his eyes as well. He swallowed the enormous lump in his throat, looking down into the peaceful face of their daughter.

The sprites and purebloods all stood at a reasonable distance away from the family, spectating the unfolding scene with just as much shock riddled across their faces.

"No…." Aloe whimpered pleadingly, and Briar instinctually pulled her into a hug. If not to comfort her, to hide his own accumulating tears. Meanwhile, the entire population of sprites had managed to make their way back to where everyone else was, with Tallulah and Puck leading the way. They slowed as their eyes fell upon the three trolls. Their wings drooped, and the female sprite shook her head.

"Oh no. Girly….please wake up." Tallulah begged, reaching out to her as if it would make a difference. Puck came up beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She covered her mouth with a hand in shock, feeling the tears collect at her hand.

The atmosphere was completely morose, with not a soul making a peep for the longest time. Sniffles and cries could be heard throughout, but nobody could possibly claim to be more at a loss than the three trolls huddled together on the ground amidst it all.

The King and Queen of Troll Village pined over their daughter for a long moment. Poppy silently sobbed to herself, stroking Willow's ebony locks tenderly as she shook her head. Still completely in denial.

After what seemed like an eternity, Branch leaned down and rested his forehead against Willow's. Tears streamed freely from his eyes with his face twisted in pure agony, his hand cupping her face. However, what happened next made everyone once again fall completely silent. All eyes fell on the King as he began to sing softly.

 _Come stop your crying, it will be alright_

 _Just take my hand, hold it tight_

Poppy whimpered, recognizing the tune immediately as the one he had sang to their daughter on the day of her birth.

 _I will protect you, from all around you_

 _I will be here, don't you cry_

Branch released her face and took up one of her hands, squeezing it tightly as Poppy rested her cheek on the crown of Willow's head.

 _For one so small, you seem so strong_

 _My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm_

 _This bond between us, can't be broken_

 _I will be here, don't you cry_

' _Cause you'll be in my heart_

 _Yes, you'll be in my heart_

 _From this day on, now and forever more_

 _You'll be in my heart_

 _No matter what they say_

 _You'll be in my heart_

He inhaled shakily, releasing it on a quiver as he forced himself to whisper the last part.

 _Always…._

Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. They waited, hoping that the song would create a flicker of light within the girl. The world had ceased to revolve. They waited.

Princess Willow still lay limp in her parent's arms, unresponsive. Branch took another shaky breath, concluding that his final reach to bring his daughter back had been futile.

She truly was gone.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Canella pleaded with Tallulah. Verne was holding onto her hand tightly.

"I'm afraid not, darlin'. She is bound by blood to this spell. It's nearly impossible to break." The sprite informed her reluctantly.

"It would take a miracle to bring her back." Puck agreed. "Her only hope was getting back to her village. Back to where she belongs. And it's too late."

It was amidst his words that Branch and Poppy stood up once more, the blue troll still tenderly carrying their child in his arms. He tucked her head against his shoulder and adjusted his support under her knees, looking to Poppy and then to the rest of the watchful eyes around them.

"Let's take her home. I don't want her here any longer." His voice was low, devoid of any emotion but desperation. It was with this that Briar and his fellow Huntsmen stepped forward, followed by the rest of the rescue party. The remaining sprites and purebloods turned away to begin their walk back towards the city.

The walk towards Savros Bridge was silent, with everyone hanging their heads and refusing to look at one another. They began to think on what tomorrow would bring. How would the rest of Troll Village respond to their Princess' passing? Many questions hung above their heads like a heavy raincloud. Drenching them in sorrow and resentment for the days to come.

For one such troll, he couldn't stand it any longer. He ceased moving forward and looked up to Branch and Poppy, who walked just a few feet in front of him.

"Your Majesties, I…" He stopped, looking them both in the eye and feeling his heart tear all over again at their expressions. He sighed, clenching his fist tightly. "There is nothing in the _world_ that I could possibly say that…could express my regret for this." Briar's voice remained strong and steady, despite the crumbling within. Branch and Poppy watched him respectfully, their expressions unchanged.

"It should have been me." He whispered, fresh tears stinging his eyes as he blinked them away. Branch's expression hardened slightly, but for some reason he could not bring himself to slander the young troll. Something within him pleaded that it was not what Willow would have wanted. However, what the Queen chose to do left everyone in a new set of waterworks.

Poppy almost immediately started forward, wrapping her arms around Briar tightly as a mother would. Briar stood stiffly for a moment, shock overtaking his body for a moment at the contact. He relaxed eventually, hugging her back.

"Thank you for trying to save my little girl." The pink troll whispered. Briar's breathing took on a shaky quality in that moment, his entire body aching to just completely lose it right then and there. As the Queen pulled away, he could see the ghost of Willow in her eyes, and emotions of all sorts overtook him in a new wave of melancholy.

The group still ventured forth into towards the edge of homeland, passing many natural landmarks along the way. One in particular was a vast field of various flowers, all swaying gently in the gentle breeze as they passed. However, just as they were reaching the edge of the field, there was a particularly strong gust that began to kick up some loose petals off a cluster of small, white flowers. Swirling and dancing about in the pale moonlight. They weaved up and down, side-to-side and slowly began moving towards them.

"What is that?" Sage questioned as the petals continued their single-file journey in their direction. It looked like something out of a fantasy novel.

"I don't know…." Aloe replied, but they all watched as the stream of botany swirled about Branch, entangling themselves in Willow's hair as they gusted past. The temperature felt slightly warmer to them all the moment the petals had drifted away, the hum of yet another mysterious force rumbling in the ground beneath them. Canella gasped.

"Look!" She cried.

Branch felt a small flare of heat against his chest, looking down to observe a bright white glow coming from the center of Willow's chest. Slowly and surely, the glow began to cascade in all directions, spreading from her chest to her torso to her arms and legs. As it glided over her face and hair, it began to leave color in its wake. Her colors. Pale at first, but increasing in vibrancy until finally she was glowing in her respective blue and teal color scheme. Everyone stared in complete awe as the deep orchid color returned to her cheeks, and with a soft inhalation, her thick eyelashes fluttered open. An eruption of gasps flared from the surrounding group, including Poppy, whose eyes still glistened with tears. Willow's bright pink eyes looked between them as they stood over her, looking down in pure adoration.

"Dad." She whispered to him before turning to Poppy. "Mom."

"Willow." Poppy whimpered back. Branch could only stare in complete amazement at the returned life in his arms. "Willow, my _baby_!" Branch set her down so Poppy could throw her arms tightly around the teenager, who almost stumbled back on the impact. The Queen was soon accompanied by the King and both of them held onto their Princess tightly. She returned the favor, squeezing her eyes shut to fight any accumulating tears. After several moments, Branch pulled himself away far enough to cup at Willow's cheek, glancing between her eyes as he stroked her cheek gently with the pad of his thumb.

"I thought we lost you." He stated, his voice cracking on the last two words. Willow shook her head gently in his hold, giving him a watery smile as she allowed one single tear to streak down her face.

"Never." She whispered. Poppy raised a finger to brush the tear away, taking a hold of her hand and giving it a tight squeeze.

"And we're never going to be apart ever again." She declared. Willow smiled at her, blinking back her tears again as she looked to her father. He watched her with such reverence, such a tenderness that she hadn't seen in years. Bashfully, her face fell slightly and she nervously glanced at the ground.

"Dad, I want to tell you—"

"No, Willow. _I_ want to tell _you_ something." He cut her off, and she fell silent as his hands once again found their way to her face, holding either side gently as his eyes stayed on hers.

"You were always enough. You still are. More than enough." Branch assured her. Willow inhaled shakily, her chest rising dramatically. He furrowed his brow in determination for a moment. "Don't you _ever_ doubt that." Willow blinked a few times, her eyelashes glistening now in the moonlight. She took in another breath with a quivery tone to it.

"I'm s-sorry I let them take m-me…." She choked out, still trying to apologize to them. "I just figured….you would be perfectly happy together like you've always b-been….even without me."

"Willow, please." Poppy pleaded desperately. There was a pause, then she continued. "It's true, your father and I have a special bond and happiness that only we can provide one another. And for the longest time, that was enough for us." The King and Queen looked to one another for a moment, staring lovingly until Branch broke the lock and looked back to their daughter.

"But Willow…..that all changed when you were born. You became a part of our happiness….and we would have never been completely happy without you in our lives. We signed up for that the moment we knew we were having you." He could not stop touching her face, still feverishly fighting to continually convince himself that his daughter was back within reach. The two monarchs faced their child again full-on, gazing at her in a way that made her heart swell with joy.

"We're lost without you, sweetheart." Poppy whispered. Willow's lip quivered, and in one solid movement she had thrown her arms around both of them and pulled them into another hug. Both of them reached up a hand to stroke her back and hair in a comforting manner. She pulled away, blinking away the brimming tears and giving a breathless laugh. It was only then that she realized their captive audience, standing silently and respectfully a few feet away. It was with her recognition of their presence that they moved forward, and Tallulah was the first to offer her yet another affectionate hug.

"Glad you could join us again, girly." She mused. Willow could not stop smiling. She looked to the Huntsmen standing a ways away, Colt giving a small wave.

"Howdy, Princess." He said. She gave a nod to them. Upon seeing her oldest friends, she beamed even wider, though she wasn't sure how it was physically possible.

"Guys!" She cried.

"Hey there, Will." Verne answered affectionately.

"You guys came here too?" She asked.

"Well, we figured we'd keep Briar in line in case he tried anything. Besides, we couldn't just sit around and do nothing." Canella said. Upon mention of his name, Willow turned one last time to look upon the tall troll, who had been watching her move from friend to friend silently. Cautiously, they both began moving towards one another. Branch and Poppy stood a few feet away in each other's arms, watching it unfold along with everyone else.

Stopping a few feet away from one another, both trolls stared for a moment before Briar spoke.

"Willow, I…..I have no idea where to start." He started, looking down in shame. The troll Princess watched him squirm under her gaze for a moment. She had to admit, it was kind of cute to see him flustered. She inched closer, leaning down a bit to recapture his eyes. When locked, she smiled.

"How about we start over?" She asked gently. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Y-you mean….you actually want to forgive me?" He asked timidly. She took in another breath, clasping her hands behind her back and beginning to sway her weight on her hips back and forth.

"Well, I think given the circumstances and the fact that you basically had the tar beaten out of you on my account…" She rambled before giving him another grin. "I'd say it's a perfectly reasonable suggestion."

It was Willow's turn to be thrown for a loop as a genuine smile graced Briar's features, the first time she had ever seen him do so. Her heart pounded at how it changed him almost completely. With everything that he had been through, it was like a ray of hope that things were finally taking a turn for the better.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that a lot." He confirmed, and she smiled. She rested her weight on her right hip, giving him a once-over.

"So. You're a Prince." She piped after a moment or two. Briar chuckled nervously, rubbing at the back of his head.

"Uhhh yeah." He conferred for the second time. She giggled.

"Kind of cliché, isn't it? A Prince and a Princess?" She joked, but she saw a hint of doubt streak across his face at her words.

"No, it isn't! At least, it doesn't have to be…." He quickly stated, immediately retracting on his boldness at the surprised widening of Willow's eyes. She softened immediately, realizing that she may have said the wrong thing.

"I guess you're right." She said. He nodded, biting his lower lip before looking back up at her.

"Willow, I…" The rumble of the ground halted his sentence, sending all of them wobbling on their feet.

"What's happening?" Canella cried out. Tallulah and Puck took to the air to try and locate the source of the disturbance, peering back in the direction of which they came.

"Looks like another horde of Guardsmen are headed this way." Tallulah yelled down to them. Briar looked back in alarm, his ears perked and his mind going to one explanation and one explanation only.

"Thorn." He mumbled.

"What, he's coming _here_?" Willow cried frantically, her stomach twisting in knots at the memory of Briar's snake-like cousin.

"Cypress may not have thought much of Thorn, but I promise you that Thorn idolized him." Puck explained. "It was common knowledge amongst the sprite community. He's not going to take too well to the news of him dying." Briar wasted no time in reaching for Willow's arm.

"Come on. We've got to get you across Savros Bridge."

They sprinted for a good quarter mile before reaching the enormous structure.

"Alright, everyone. Get moving." Briar called out, placing a hand on every back of the trolls that made the long trek across the bridge to the other side.

"Briar, what are we even doing? Thorn is just going to go after them!" Tez pointed out. The Prince gritted his teeth at the notion, glaring out over the horizon where he knew his cousin would be waiting for them.

"Not on my watch." He said, turning to take a quick observation of the bridge. He docked his head to peer underneath, squinting and sizing up the magnitude of the task he had in mind.

"What are you going to do?" Shale asked. Briar reached back and pulled his sword from its sheath, adjusting his grip on it before answering.

"The only thing that can be done." He took a few large steps forward to the closest support beam. Raising it high above his head, he brought down his razor sharp weapon with all of his might, cracking and fraying the cedar of the post most definitely. They all watched him in alarm. Willow ran back to him, throwing herself on the railing to bend over at him.

"Briar, what are you doing?" She scolded. Briar did not look up, continuing to hack away at the post.

"This bridge is the only thing connecting homeland to the rest of the world. It took decades to build it. If we strike at it enough, it'll collapse into the river. Thorn won't be able to come after you after that point." He grunted out in between violent swings until the post buckled and disappeared into the depths of the vast river.

" _What_? Are you crazy?" She yelled.

"I might be. But if it keeps you and your village safe," It was at this moment that he looked up and met her worried eyes. "….I'll gladly take that chance."

Willow was speechless, her mouth slightly agape. How on earth could he consciously make such a vast amount of life-altering decisions? It made her head spin, and she was not ready to let this go.

"Come on, guys! I need your help!" Briar called to his fellow Huntsmen, who wasted no time in also extracting their weapons and taking positions at various weak points on the bridge. Willow shook her head, lunging forward again.

"Briar, no. Stop! What about Thorn?" She pleaded.

"We can take 'em." She looked up into the determined faces of her two sprite friends, their hands on their hips. She shook her head.

"But…"

"But nothing." Tallulah finished for her, stepping closer until she could place both hands on Willow's arms. "Willow, girly….you set us _free._ We would have never made it this far if it wasn't for you." She smiled tenderly. "You stuck your neck out for us, now let us return the favor."

Another rumble of the earth sent them wobbling, and Tallulah turned Willow about and gave her a rough shove.

"Now get going! This'll all be for nothing unless you're on the other side of this godforsaken bridge!" She ordered. For some reason, Willow complied, though she kept glancing backwards as she did so. Poppy had her arms outstretched for her the moment she crossed, and she cradled her close as they stood for a moment to watch the Huntsmen hard at work in destroying the very thing between them.

"Almost there!" Briar hollered, the rumbles around them becoming more significant as he came to the very peak of the arched structure, his handiwork displayed at his feet. The entire structure was hanging on only by a few boards, and he knew that one more strike to it would sever the connection.

The Princess watched in agony as he reached into his pocket and placed it at his feet. He raised his sword again, his eyes cast downward on his target. She wrenched herself from her mother's arms and sprinted onto the bridge once more.

"No, wait! Don't!" Branch cried after her. She ignored him, her feet practically flying across the boards until she practically slammed into him. She grabbed at his raised arm, her eyes large and wild with worry.

"Briar, please." She begged. The young Prince froze for a moment, taking in her frantic expression. He did not move for the longest moment. Everyone was at a stand-still as they watched the two stare at one another atop the crumbling link between homeland and the wilderness across.

Slowly, as if any other speed would disrupt the atmosphere, Briar extended out a hand and brushed Willow's bangs out of her eyes before coming to rest his palm against the burning skin of the side of her face. Tenderly, he stroked it for a moment as tears brimmed both of their eyes for the millionth time. Willow sighed, squeezing her eyes shut before clutching at his hand and pressing her cheek further into his palm.

When he had retracted, the spot he had been holding instantly felt so frigid against the air, and she watched as he resumed his previous position, bringing up both hands with his sword. His eyes never left hers.

"Goodbye, Willow." He muttered. She whimpered, having little time to respond before he began to bring down his sword. Instinctively, she ran as fast as she did before, though her feet felt considerably heavier than they had before as Briar met the last thread of wood, annihilating it most completely. He had disappeared in a cloud of smoke, the bridge crumbling into the depths below and leaving no way of getting across its treacherous currents.

Willow fell into a heap on the ground, clutching at the grass with both hands with her head hanging low between her shoulders. Her entire body shook with each sob, her sharp gasps for air echoing throughout the woods as Poppy and Branch neared her, kneeling on either side of her and enveloping her in a hug.

On and on, the sound of her sobs carried through the air. Through the trees and bushes of the forest. Carrying her sorrow far and wide so no living thing was ignorant of her bittersweet victory.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **Oh, how I love to play with the emotions! And this chapter was chock full of 'em! Am I sorry? Nope! Muahaha!**

 **So once again, the privilege of happiness came at a price for Willow. Only this time, it was in reverse. Initially, she had given up her own happiness for the sake of others. Now, she is the one who is left to live a happy life at the sacrifice of another. I love making things come around in a circle like that!**

 **Other than that, I hope you enjoyed this chapter for what it was worth and keep your eyes peeled for the final chapter of Come Back to Me, coming soon!**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Heartforhumanity845**


	10. Chapter 10

**One Year Later**

A flurry of all colors, from red to dark blue, hurried about in a chattering mess as the last of the preparations were made for the afternoon festivities. All but a singular troll busied themselves, and it was this very troll to which everything could be accredited to for celebrating. She had begun to walk through the main stretch of paths when a pleasantly volumed voice rung out for her.

"Good morning, Princess Willow!" called a certain troll of which she immediately smiled and waved.

"Good morning, Sonny! How is everyone?" She called back. He nodded feverishly.

"Oh, just fine, Your Highness! We'll be fixing to come to the party later this afternoon!" He informed her. She chuckled.

"Can't wait to see you there!" She assured him before continuing her walk through the village square.

Willow had chosen to allow her hair to sit atop her head with her signature white flower tucked in her ear. She wore an off-the-shoulder dress that sported a snow white on the bodice and a pastel lavender upon the skirt that draped her hips in a flattering manner, billowing softly in the air that she kicked up as she walked. Perhaps a little on the girly side for her taste, but she did not want to disappoint the twins who had worked tirelessly on it. If there was any day to wear such an outfit, it was today.

Rounding a particular corner, she came upon a scene of absolute chaos. Her mother's dearest friends scrambled around one another with all sorts of crafts in hand, and she shook her head as DJ wagged a frantic finger off to her right.

"No, no, over _there!_ " She insisted. Willow smirked, eyeing a twig beneath her feet. Purposely she pressed her heel into it, making a snap and alerting the Snack Pack to her presence. They all turned around with wide eyes before beginning to disperse.

"Here she comes!" whispered Smidge, and Willow couldn't keep herself from smiling as she approached the group.

"And just what are _you_ all up to?" She mused, crossing her arms and resting her weight on her hip.

"Nothing!" Biggie blurted out. They all gave nervous smiles until their four-legged companion poked his head out from behind Guy Diamond's hair.

"Do you think we should use pink or blue glitter?" Cooper piped up, making the entire group groan and smack their palms to their foreheads. Willow giggled, her shoulders trembling a little as she did so.

"It's okay, guys. Nothing really surprises me anymore." She assured the Snack Pack.

"But we wanted to at least try!" Chenille commented, looking genuinely crushed that they had been discovered.

"I know, I know. Thank you." The Princess couldn't help but smile at them. They had been there for her mother and her for so many years, and they never failed to give her birthday the very best. They parted ways as she made her way back to the royal pod. Knowing its two occupants would be finishing up their routine to prepare for the hours ahead.

"Almost ready?" Poppy asked, coming up behind her husband and pressing a generous kiss to his cheek as he ran a comb up into his ultraviolet blue locks.

"Almost." He mumbled before she brought her cheek against his, both of them staring into his reflection.

"You look so handsome." She gushed, making the King scoff and roll his eyes softly.

"Hardly, but thank you anyways." He replied before turning about to allow her to face him. She rested both arms on his shoulders, lazily stroking her fingers at the base of his head and hairline. He inhaled sharply at this. She knew exactly how to get his attention.

"My wonderful Branch." She mused with a twinkle in her eyes. The blue troll mirrored her adoration, his hands settling on the curve of her hips and pulling her against him. She giggled, feeling a small heat rise to her face.

"My beautiful Poppy." He rumbled on a husky voice, making a whole new gleam begin to overtake her vision. She immediately reciprocated the implication with a lean of her head, capturing his lips in hers. Even after doing it dozens of times, far more than one could count, it still lit a fire in their bellies to connect with their raw, natural exterior. Burning with emotion beyond explanation as they moved like clockwork, making out like a couple of teenagers during a drive-in movie. After several seconds of heated exchange, they parted to continue their marvel at one another. Branch pressed his thumbs into the soft flesh just above her hip bones in a circular motion.

"You're making it very hard to want to leave this pod for the day." He grumbled, and she knew exactly what he was getting at. A coy smirk tugged at her lips, but before she could respond with an equally as saucy remark, a voice halted all libido for the time being.

"Hey, you two, get a room." The two monarchs looked to their offspring as she entered, radiating a natural beauty that she could only accredit to inheritance. The Queen waved her away with a flick of her wrist, fighting the laugh in her throat.

"Oh, hush. We're allowed." Poppy insisted as they parted completely. Branch got to his feet and closed the small distance between them, taking both of her hands in his.

"Happy Birthday, twig." He doted gently, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She smiled.

"Thanks, Dad." She said with just as much adoration. She felt her mother hook an arm in hers, and the two beamed at one another.

"Shall we?" She asked before they set off to take part in the day's festivities. Upon reaching the main area, Poppy and Branch began to chat with the Snack Pack and a few other trolls. As Willow started over to join them, she heard someone call for her.

"Hey Princess Willow!" Turning about, she met the bright orange gaze of a green-skinned troll with a tower of darker green hair. She slowly turned around, clasping her hands together.

"Oh….hi, Spruce." She replied gently. He smiled, giving a nervous chuckle.

"I-I just wanted to tell you that you look beautiful today." He informed her. The feelings deep inside her tugged at Willow's heart immensely. But she did not want to hurt his feelings, or give any indication that she was in distress at this. So, she did her best to give a sweet smile.

"Oh, well….that's very nice of you, Spruce. Thank you." She said on a voice as calm and cordial as she could conjure. Spruce smiled, giving a somewhat hurried bow to her.

"My pleasure, Princess. Anytime." He bubbled before she turned away. Poppy and Branch watched this interaction silently, and Branch could see the twinge of despair across his daughter's features.

"Still moping, huh?" DJ asked them, resting her elbow on Poppy's shoulder to lean against her.

"Yeah. I just hope we can make her smile today, of all days." The Queen replied with an air of sadness herself. Branch took her hand quietly, giving it a tight squeeze as they locked gazes to smile.

"There'll be no doubt about that, Pops." Guy Diamond piped up.

"Yeah, we've got the sickest beats planned for her party today!" DJ reminded her.

"And the cake's gonna be awesome!" Biggie bubbled in addition. They both smiled, pushing their daughter's secret despair to the back of their minds.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The buzz of the Princess' birthday celebration seemed to be in full swing as a long line coiled its way through the square to wait for food. The party had kicked off with a round of celebratory wishes and cards for the new young adult Princess before Biggie had announced that lunch was served. Dinner was also set to take place, with plenty of dancing and singing in between to satisfy any troll's insatiable appetite.

The Queen had been busy trying to persuade a few trolls that there were vegetarian options at the buffet when her eyes inadvertently landed on her child, who sat at one of many tables with her chin resting on her folded arms, toying with the decorations at the center. She excused herself and made her way over to her quietly.

The Princess' mind was a jumbled mess. She was happy to be home, there was no doubt. She had been ever since setting foot to the immense greeting that awaited her upon her return. Everyone was so overjoyed, and there was a party that lasted for an entire week in her honor. However, upon her return to her life as a Princess and her miniscule duties in helping her parents run Troll Village, her mind never left homeland. It had been the best and the worst place she had ever been to, with the only reason for her favor of the area being a singular troll. A troll with warm brown eyes and deep red hair. How she wondered what had become of him. If he and the sprites had defeated Thorn and made things right. Was he even thinking of her? Or did another troll adorn his arm these days? It was hard to tell, and as much as she tried to hide it, it drove her mad.

"You alright, sweetie?" Willow looked up into the concerned face of her mother, who crossed the rest of the way to place a hand squarely on her back. Her eyes fell to the glittery party favors again.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She lied. Poppy only sighed through her nose, then her ear perked up slightly in remembrance. She took a hold of her daughter's hand, warranting a confused look from her.

"Come on. Your dad and I want to show you something." She insisted. Willow obliged without argument, following her eccentric parental unit to the edge of the village, where Branch was already waiting for them. They then continued to walk deeper and deeper into the forest, seemingly leaving the rest of their world behind. Willow looked around in amazement as the vegetation began to change. A creek began to babble in her left ear and they followed alongside its embankment until reaching a grove of trees that she inherited her namesake from. Her parents had slowed considerably as they reached them, stopping beneath a particularly large one before turning to her. They beamed, and Willow respectively watched them both as Branch spoke.

"On this day twenty years ago, your mother and I met you under this very tree." He doted affectionately, taking a hold of Poppy's hand and giving it a tight squeeze. The Queen gave a little squeal of happiness, bouncing about for a moment.

"Just a tiny, _tiny_ baby!" Poppy gushed, reaching over to pinch at Willow's cheek. She rolled her eyes with a smile adorning her lips.

"Ugh, guys! You _know_ I don't care for this mushy stuff!" She argued, crossing her arms.

"Well, that's a shame." The new voice caught her off guard, and Willow turned around to spy someone she was convinced she would never see again. The small winged woman smiled at her with her hands on either shoulder of two smaller male sprites in front of her. Willow's eyes took on an air of wonder, her lips parting slightly to prepare to speak

"Lu…." She whispered. Tallulah chuckled.

"Hiya, girly." She responded. The Princess shook her head in disbelief.

"H-How'd you get here?" She asked in complete confusion.

"Well, even though it took decades to build the first one, we set to work on a new bridge the day after you all left. We happened to pull a few strings here and there and had it up and operational within eleven months. Quite remarkable actually." Tallulah explained, her short orange hair bobbing and glistening in the late morning rays. Willow's mouth hung slightly ajar in awe.

"I….I can't believe it…." She uttered. Tallulah continued.

"So, the only _logical_ thing to do was to come visit our dearest friend." She said before giving a lip cracking smile. Willow mirrored it before bringing up her next question.

"What happened with Thorn?"

"Oh, don't worry your pretty little head about him. We set him straight and how he has a nice, cushy bed in the penitentiary." She explained. Willow nodded and the sprite shook the two little ones in her grasp.

"Willow, these are my boys. Nico and Marty. Say hello to the Princess, boys." The two children gave shy waves at her, still cowering behind their mother's skirt. Tallulah held onto them regardless as she watched Willow's expression fall from content to anxiety. She blinked a few times, a small tinge of purple coming to the tips of her ears as her heart pounded at what she would ask next.

"Are you-?" She started, but was quickly cut off with a raised hand from the sprite.

"Do you really think we came here all by ourselves?" Tallulah questioned her before stepping out of her path. She immediately laid eyes on Puck, Colt, Shale, Tez, and two others trolls she did not know the names to. She looked in confusion for a moment until they all spread apart to reveal the last face in their crowd, and she completely stilled.

An emerald green peasant shirt with gold trim adorned the Prince along with a pair of dark brown pants. He wore no sword, no cloak, nothing to indicate of his past life as she had met him. He stood before her completely new and vulnerable, and the two held their gaze for a long moment. He was radiant, and dare she say, even happy in his demeanor as he watched her.

Cautiously, Willow brought her left foot forward, moving with a gentle padding quiet enough to make a successful heist. Her eyes never left his, and she watched his throat bob up and down as he swallowed nervously. The birds above chirped a happy song as everyone stood spectating quietly, smiles spread all around.

Coming to a stop just a few feet from him, she continued to look up at him in revered silence. Everything about him embodied peace, all the way down to the tips of his toes. The sunlight cast a luminous glow upon his pleasantly gray skin, his mahogany locks wearing a sort of bright red halo at its tips. However, nothing at all compared to the emotion he harbored in his eyes. Their warm, cinnamon-like nature was enough to make her melt, and she waited. He swallowed again.

"Willow-!" He scarcely had uttered her name before she had thrown her arms around him, yanking him down to her level. He wasted no time in coiling both arms tightly around her waist and burying his nose into her shoulder. An eruption of applause sounded off around them, and they held each other for what seemed like centuries. Willow split away just enough to look him in the eyes, her pink orbs glittering with her own tears now.

"Briar…" She whispered, stroking his jawline as he looked back at her with a smile. He returned the contact by pulling her closer against him, their bodies pressed quite closely together.

"You didn't think you could get rid of me _that_ easily, did you?" He joked, his eyes flicking back and forth to capture the emotion behind both of them.

"But…I saw you disappear…." She reminded him. He only looked back at her in compassion for her concern.

"Thankfully for me, I still had some tricks up my sleeve." He muttered, and Willow was completely lost in him. However, the small squeal from behind him averted her eyes to the two trolls who were unnamed to her, and Briar gently pulled himself from her to walk over to both of them.

"Willow, this is my younger sister Aloe and my younger brother Sage." Briar introduced them warmly, and Willow nodded.

"Nice to meet you-!" She was yanked into another hug by the overzealous young female troll, who let out another squeal.

"Ohhhhh you're so _perfect!_ You're just as beautiful in person!" She doted affectionately. Willow giggled, trying her best to return the bone-crushing embrace. Watching her start to squirm, the Prince placed a hand on his sister's shoulder.

"Hey, sis, ease up a bit. She needs to breathe, you know." Briar reminded his energetic sibling and she quickly retracted, flashing an embarrassed smile and nervous laugh.

"Oh, sorry." She quickly retreated from her spot, and Willow giggled again before turning back to Briar. He was watching her very intently, a smile tugging at the left corner of his mouth.

"I'm so glad to see you again." She declared on a voice that sent his heart pounding. He almost completely lost it as she inched herself closer to him. However, it seemed there were other things on his mind that he had to get out of the way first.

"Willow, I know it's all said and done but…." He blinked rapidly as if to combat the emotions erupting in his chest. "…..I still can't forgive myself for what I did to you…" He started, making her face fall ever so slightly. He sighed. "I don't deserve you. I really don't."

He hung his head, tearing his gaze away from her to avoid her most likely judgmental stare. There was no sound for a moment, then his skin tingled as he felt fingers brush against his cheek and apply just enough pressure to turn his eyes back to hers. There was a look in her eye that he had not seen very often, compassionate and full of determination. She tilted her head downwards a bit.

 _I've been hearin' symphonies_

His eyes widened. Her voice…he couldn't possibly be hearing it.

 _Before all I heard was silence_

 _A rhapsody for you and me_

How could someone have such a perfect set of pipes?

Briar looked around wildly to see everyone watching them with surprised faces as well. Even Branch and Poppy stared with wide eyes as their daughter sang to the young Prince.

 _And every melody is timeless_

 _Life was stringin' me along_

 _Then you came and you cut me loose_

 _Was solo singin' on my own_

 _Now I can't find the key without you_

She gently grabbed both of his hands and began to swing him about in a circle.

 _And now your song is on repeat_

 _And I'm dancin' on, to your heartbeat_

 _And when you're gone I feel incomplete_

 _So if you want the truth_

 _I just wanna be part of your symphony_

 _Will you hold me tight and not let go?_

 _Symphony_

 _Like a love song on the radio_

 _Will you hold me tight and not let go?_

At this point, many trolls had joined in her song by providing background beats or instrumental aid, much a Trolls way of doing things when one of them decided to sing. Willow broke away from him for a moment, using her hair to climb atop a nearby flower, peering down at him lovingly.

 _I'm sorry if it's all too much_

 _Every day you're here, I'm healin'_

 _And I was running out of luck_

 _I never thought I'd find this feeling_

' _Cause I've been hearin' symphonies_

 _Before all I heard was silence_

 _A rhapsody for you and me_

 _And every melody is timeless_

 _And now your song is on repeat_

 _And I'm dancin' on to your heartbeat_

 _And when you're gone I feel incomplete_

 _So if you want the truth_

She once again extended her hair out and began dancing along various objects of the forest, slowly but surely making her way back to Briar, who still stood in his same spot and looked up at her in awe.

 _I just wanna be part of your symphony_

 _Will you hold me tight and not let go?_

 _Symphony_

 _Like a love song on the radio_

 _Will you hold me tight and not let go?_

She vocalized with DJ for a moment, making sure to keep herself ready for the next pounce.

 _And now your song is on repeat_

 _And I'm dancing on to your heartbeat_

 _And when you're gone I feel incomplete_

 _So if you want the truth_

She jumped down to a lower flower, still high above Briar's head. His face had relaxed by this point, thoroughly enjoying the show that Willow was putting on for him. The rest of the village had been bobbing their heads and even dancing to her song. It had been so long since they heard their Princess sing.

 _I just wanna be part of your symphony_

 _Will you hold me tight and not let go?_

 _Symphony_

 _Like a love song on the radio_

 _Symphony_

 _Will you hold me tight and not let go?_

 _Symphony_

 _Like a love song on the radio_

She made one final jump back down to him, at which Briar frantically caught her as she spun into his arms, coming to rest her forehead against his as he held her at eye level.

 _Will you hold me tight and not let go?_

She stroked his cheek lightly with her fingertips, his brown eyes simmering into her fuchsia orbs with a sensation that she was sure he was feeling as well. The pull between them was almost unbearable, and the deeper she looked into them, the more lost Willow's mind became to the world around her. There was only him.

"Alright boys, show's over." Tallulah hurriedly told her sons as she along with the rest of the village began to pick up on where this was headed.

"What are you talkin' about, Ma?" Marty asked as she guided them along.

"I'll explain when you're older." She stated, pulling out the classic parent card when things got awkward. The sprite spotted Branch and Poppy a ways away, looking back at their daughter with bittersweet joy. Poppy locked eyes with Tallulah for a moment, flashing a smile with tears in her eyes. She nodded, and Poppy returned the favor. She knew exactly how much they were struggling. She soon joined them in their walk back to the village, leaving the two inevitably alone in the wilderness.

The young Prince could hear his heartbeat in his large pointed ears as he continued to hold the petite Princess at the perfect level to him.

"Uh…hi." Briar tripped over himself as she continued to stare into his face. A smile crept up on her lips again.

"Hi." She answered, her eyelids drooped considerably. He swallowed hard, his brown eyes searching every bit of her face to focus on a flaw. He found none whatsoever. Her blue skin seemed to glow amidst the foliage surrounding them, the sunlight illuminating her glassy pink gaze in a way that couldn't possibly be considered real. It should have belonged in a fairytale. He gaped his mouth open, croaking to his next opening word.

"U-um….do you want me to put you down?" He asked, glancing to the ground. His cheeks flushed bright red as she placed both hands on either side of his face. Her breath tickled his nose as she gently shook her head while leaning forward.

"No." She replied on a hushed smile that sent an electrical current down his spine and all the way to his fingertips. His mouth went into panic mode.

"I-I thought maybe you wouldn't want to feel like I'm insulting your height or anything." He babbled on until the warmth of her mouth hovered above his.

"Briar." She breathed, her lips brushing against his to shut him up. He did so and in one final push, their lips were locked in a hold that left them both in a shaking mess. Unsure at first, but as confidence swelled in the Prince's chest, he completely unhinged his doubts and kissed back. Slowly as to not break the contact, he set her back down on the ground and hunched over to continue stroking his lips against hers. She stood on her tiptoes to reach him, her hands still clinging to his face. The fabric of her skirt was cool to the touch with the burning heat of her curved figure buried beneath as his one hand stroked her left side up and down. All too soon, they broke away, the mirth in their eyes undeniable as they reveled in what had just transpired.

"Like my song?" Her first murmur of a question took him a moment to register as he continued to hold her against him firmly. His breathing was slightly labored and he smiled with an open mouth, letting out a breathless chuckle.

"Yes. It was almost as beautiful as you." He replied, surprised at his own sappy answer. However, the Princess in his arms didn't seem to mind as she giggled, giving her head a small shake. Her eyes flicked from his gaze to his chin and back up, a playful smile on her face.

"So, do I have to start calling you King now?" She asked. He shook his head.

"Not yet. A pureblood Prince can't be crowned King until he's twenty-five, believe it or not. Ancient tradition." He explained. He stared at her again, the heat returning a little to his cheeks. "I-It's also an ancient tradition to have a companion with you at the coronation ceremony." Willow smiled deviously, knowing what he was trying to get at even if he didn't.

"And why would the companion be necessary?" She asked, teasing him by beginning to nuzzle his cheek against hers. It was so entertaining to see the usually level-headed Prince so flustered.

"W-Well usually it's to introduce the citizens to the coronating King or Queen's potential husband or wife…." He started to say, but quickly covered it up by saying "But it doesn't have to always end up that way. My father didn't meet my mother until three years after he was crowned." Willow giggled at his obvious attempt to soften the weight of his words, and she just leaned in to give him a peck on the cheek.

"I'll be happy to be your _companion_ at your coronation." She jabbed in acceptance, and he blushed again. She slowly slipped her hand into his, and he squeezed it tightly before giving another smitten smile. The two then began their slow walk back into the village, where they were both sure everyone was awaiting their arrival.

Branch stood relatively close to the edge of the village square, a small cup of punch in his hand as Poppy accompanied him in watching their people's antics to the music that DJ blasted from her stereos.

"Do you think they'll be back before dinner?" Poppy asked her husband, sounding slightly worried. Branch shook his head.

"Hard to tell. If they're out past dark, I'm going to look for them." He informed her.

"Oh, stop." The pink troll said with a chuckle, giving him a playful shove. "That boy put himself through a lot for Willow." She reminded him, and he continued to skim the scene before them without looking at her.

"He's _alright_ I suppose. As a son-in-law, he's going to need some work though."

The Queen nearly dropped her own glass of punch as she whipped her head in his direction at his words. Her face fell to surprise.

"Branch, do you…. _want_ them to get married?" She asked in utter disbelief. She watched her husband's posture tense up a bit and he clenched his jaw for a moment.

"I didn't say anything of the sort." He replied curtly, but his denial fell on deaf ears as his bright and bubbly love placed her punch on the ground and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. He tried his best to mask his obvious enjoyment at her closeness, and she glanced back and forth between his icy blue optics.

"You're becoming a real softie, you know that?" She gushed bemusedly, at which he scoffed.

"Don't remind me." He retorted before receiving a chaste but passionate kiss from his mate. He immediately returned the movement before their lips parted with an audible smack. Poppy smiled brightly at him, marveling in the fact that even after all these years, they were still as in love as they were when they first sang to one another in Chef's cooking pot. It seemed so long ago, but time barely warranted an issue for them.

Their heads turned as a slight rise in chatter arose at the return of Willow and Briar, who were holding hands quite tightly. Willow's eyes met her parents for a moment, and she gave them the brightest smile they had seen out of her since returning from the pureblood's homeland. Both of them smiled back, and Branch pulled Poppy close against his side as she rested her head on his, watching their daughter turn her attention to her own blossoming love.

"Wow, you guys sure know how to have a party." Briar commented as he watched the immense sea of every colored hair bob and quiver to the beat. Glitter trolls clung together in suspension above, creating a makeshift disco ball. Willow giggled again.

"It's in our blood." She assured him, and just as she was finishing her sentence, the current song ended and another one started up. It was the opening bit to _Shut Up and Dance_ by Walk the Moon. Willow gasped, immediately recognizing it and tugging at Briar's hand.

"Oh, come on! I love this song!" She bubbled. The Prince gave his head a violent shake.

"Oh, no, no, no. I don't dance." He refused, keeping his feet firmly planted in the ground. Willow grabbed his other hand, pulling with all of her might.

"Come on. Just keep your eyes on me." She insisted almost in sync with the song, and Briar nervously allowed her to guide him into the center of the thumping mass of hair and color. He received a few curious stares from onlookers, and some female trolls even gave him a little more of a once-over in interest. He gulped, doing as he was told and keeping his eyes on the beautiful blue troll ahead of him. In the distance, he could see his siblings standing next to the Snack Pack, their eyes all on them with huge smiles on their faces.

Willow stopped in the dead center, turning to face him.

"Now, you need to feel the beat first. So, start by tapping your foot, like this." She said, demonstrating for him with her own foot. He watched intently, his cheeks burning with embarrassment as he still felt eyes inevitably watching him. Cautiously he did so, finding to his complete and utter surprise that he was beginning to become in rhythm with the beat. Willow nodded excitedly.

"Yeah, there you go! Now trying letting that beat move through the rest of your body." She instructed, taking a hold of his hands again as he continued to get more into the movement. Before long, he was twirling her about and coinciding with her moves perfectly.

Branch and Poppy stood observing with content expressions, still caught in each other's arms.

Branch watched his daughter move and shimmy with ease, his pride swelling at how beautiful she looked. For a moment, his vision blurred and his grown daughter was replaced by a little girl, her bright eyes sparkling in the sunlight and her smile showing off a few missing teeth. He chuckled. Things had changed so much, and as a family, they had been through almost everything one could possibly imagine going through. But all of it seemed completely worth it as he allowed his mind to slowly progress his child from the little girl he had loved from the start into the intelligent, brave, and compassionate troll they had now.

She had come back to them. Forever, and always.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **WAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOO! There you are folks, the ending chapter to this wonderful sequel of my own design! I am so happy right now, I could scream! Please give me your final thoughts in a review if you feel as elated as I am! Everything is as it should be for our favorite couple and my OC's, and you can only imagine the adventures they'll embark on!**

 **I am contemplating making a third installment for this storyline, but I have to finish my other stories first before I can do so! Those followers have waited long enough as it is!**

 **Thank you for following me through this entire story, from beginning to end. It has been a pleasure writing for you, and I hope you will take the liberty to check out my other fics for this fandom, as I have been repeatedly informed that they are enjoyed just as much as this one.**

 **Without further ado, I am once again racing to that COMPLETE status! See you all soon!**

 **Sincerely and with the highest regards,**

 **Heartforhumanity845**


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